Otherside
by The-Lady-Smaell
Summary: After a freak encounter Kakashi finds himself in a most unusual situation: trapped outside his body unable to find a way back in. But the only glimmer of hope is in the most unlikely of people. Just who is Umino Iruka and what is his interest in Kakashi?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: yeah I know I shouldn't be writing new stuff when I haven't finished what I'm doing right now. But in my defence I actually started this before everything else. Besides my soon to be started other new fic this was the first story idea I came up with. It's taken me a year to actually get the confidence to write the damned thing.

Anywho apologies in advance for the substandard writing, crappy action scenes, sickening fluffy bits and a little bit of boy/boy love. You know... the usual ^_^.

Rating: Um... surprisingly just a K at the moment. There is gonna be a bit of Kaka/Iru romancing but not until the end and nothing graphic.

Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read these? Not mine Okay!

Otherside: Chapter one

"Kakashi-sensei..." The feminine voice was quiet and worried.

Through the haze of darkness the familiar voice filtered through to his consciousness, eyes still shut tightly Hatake Kakashi mentally smirked.

"Come on baka! Wake up goddamn it!" The second voice was decidedly more masculine, but even at seventeen years old it still lacked the maturity of an adult.

The mental smirk grew, ah Naruto never one to mince his words. The silver haired man almost felt like laughing at the worry evident in both of his student's voices. It seemed the two brats were a bit more attached to him than they let on. He was so not going to let them live this down, but he may as well milk it while he could.

"Sakura, he's not moving... are you sure he's okay? He was hit pretty hard by that guy"

Kakashi felt rather than saw the girl nodding, even if it was a little frantically. Kakashi glowered slightly; he hadn't been hit all that hard. Admittedly the jutsu he had been hit by was something he hadn't seen before but it hadn't exactly been powerful. Kakashi was after all still very much alive.

"His vitals are fine, just a little shallow. I don't get why he won't wake up." The tight exasperation in her voice betrayed the worry "There aren't any abnormalities. It makes no sense."

"The stupid old bastard is probably just faking" Naruto intoned morosely "You know he's probably getting a kick out of us worrying."

From his prone position Kakashi almost laughed out loud. It was scary sometimes how well his brats knew him.

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. But all I know is that we really have to get moving soon. I don't want any more of the creeps jumping out of the wood work."

The jounin happily echoed those sentiments. Although a fight had been expected the mission parameters had vastly underestimated the missing-nin's abilities. They had been powerful and well organised, but still no match for him and his team. That however didn't mean he wanted a rematch. Deciding to call an end to his little charade he opened his eyes.

And gazed up into nothing.

Kakashi felt momentarily confused, he could have sworn that Naruto and Sakura had been right next to him when they were talking. He sat up and took in the scene around him, seeking out the members of his team.

Around him the clearing the battle had taken place in was chaos. Tree's were uprooted and blown to bits, the very ground itself had been torn asunder no doubt from one of Sakura's chakra infused attacks. All around the evidence of various jutsu still smouldered and the unmistakeable aroma of burning flesh was wafting in the air. The last thought brought a bitter taste to the copy-nin's mouth; he hated the fact that the younger members of his team had had to initiate the 'cleanup'.

Kakashi's mind flew back to the battle; it had started off fairly simply the weaker members of the enemies group trying rather unsuccessfully to pick them off one at a time. They had quickly been dealt with and then the heavy hitters had joined in. There were four of them all at least tokubetsu jounin, two males and two females. The two ladies were identical twins and attacked in tandem, all fluid grace and deadly accuracy. They had excelled with physical and jutsu projectiles and had sprouted senbon from area's Kakashi didn't even want to think about. The twins had been dispatched quickly by a wolf raikiri, the dark brown of their eyes diming as the electric fangs pierced their skin, severing their major arteries.

The two men were clearly of a higher skill level. Sakura had been taking on the taller of the two, a young man with dark waist length hair, slender but muscular and coiled tightly like a spring. His speed had originally surprised the pink haired kunoichi and the man had been arrogant enough to underestimate Sakura openly taunting her for being a 'feeble woman'. Thinking he had the advantage with his speed had had struck straight toward her in a front on assault. Sakura had just smiled sweetly before raising one chakra filled fist and slamming it into the ground, causing the entire world to tilt sideways. She had them launched her own speed assault and with one well placed chakra scalpel had decapitated her opponent.

Naruto had the final opponent, an elderly man with pure white hair and a ragged disposition. His robes were old and forest green in colour, decorated with an obscure symbol: a warped bell on top of three joined circles. Around his waist he carried several pouches and jars, odd attire for a shinobi. At first he had seemed weaker than the twins just barely fending off Naruto's relentless assault. But as each of his companions fell his strength and skill grew and soon the young blonde found himself being overwhelmed. The man was clearly beyond his two student's level it wasn't even funny, even the three of them struggled, the elder was pulling jutsu out from left and right keeping them scattered, not giving the team chance to regroup.

The old man seemed to be focusing on Naruto trying to wear him down, no mean feat concerning the blonde fox boy. After a lucky earth jutsu hit the jinchuuriki, Naruto's leg was trapped between two slabs of stone and it was then that things started to get weird. The old man began chanting some weird incantation and the three already defeated foes _got back up._ Even the decapitated man _got back up_ and just carried his head under his arm, like a grotesque impersonation of the headless horseman. The three gathered around the old man, eyes rolled back in their heads a lifeless and inhuman shield against team Kakashi's assaults. The old man pulled one of the jars from his waist and opened the stopper a beam of the brightest light beginning to form at the open top.

The old man began to cackle some nonsense about adding the jinchuuriki to his collection and aimed the jars light directly at the blond.

At this point Kakashi faltered, it was here that things got a little bit fuzzy. He remembered seeing the imminent attack on Naruto and his own body spurring into action, jumping in front of the jutsu just before it hit the blonde. He remembered a distinct painful pulling sensation and then darkness, just complete darkness.

The silver haired Nin frowned at the last thought; it hadn't been the pain that had caused him to black out. So what had it been? It hadn't felt like a knockout jutsu, at least one that he knew of and what had been that whole business about his collection? Kakashi shook his head, filing those questions away for another day. There were more important things to be dealing with at the moment, like finding his team.

He stood up from his prone position and began searching through the ruins. He eventually found his squad behind one of the larger chunks of dislodged earth; the two youths crouched over what appeared to be a body, probably one of their enemies. He gave them full marks for acting accordingly on mission, but a minus for making sure all your comrade's were okay.

After all they'd just left him lying in the dirt.

With a sardonic smirk he sauntered up behind the two nin's, noting that their agitated state meant that they hadn't even noticed him approach. He shook his head in amusement, that missing-nin must have spooked them something rotten, yet more teasing material for the long and troublesome days ahead. Kakashi peeked over their shoulders intent on getting a look at who was more interesting than making sure their captain was okay, he was betting it was probably one of the twins.

After all he would love to know where some of those senbon came from...

He looked down at the prone figure and felt his blood turn to ice.

That was impossible... Denial bloomed in the copy-nin's chest along with a deep seated feeling of panic. Which given the situation he couldn't be blamed for, after all it wasn't ever day you saw your exact copy lying lifeless on the ground. He took a deep breath and steadied his nerves and uncovered his Sharingan. No, there was no henge around the body or genjutsu in the air and small amount of chakra flowing was definitely his own, if not somewhat altered. Although the silver haired man couldn't put his finger on why that was.

Kakashi closed his eyes and opened them again.

There was still no change in his perception, which lead to the only logical conclusion.

It really was _his_ prone body lying on the floor.

The panic intensified and he felt his limbs grow heavy. This had to be a joke, a truly fucking awful joke that his two brats were pulling on him. Anger replaced panic and he reached out to grab the two ninja by the scruff of the neck.

His hand went straight through them.

Fingers of ice cold ran their way up and down his spine as he tried again to grab at the youngsters and again his hand just went right through them and neither blonde nor pink noticed. The feeling of utter helplessness overwhelmed Kakashi and he slumped to his knee's just watching the scene before him unfold.

"Sakura we need to get going." Naruto said voice tense with worry.

"I know. Can you send one of your summons ahead to inform them of the situation? We need to get to the hospital as soon as possible." Sakura replied.

The blonde nodded and quickly summoned one of the messenger frogs of Mount Myobokuzan. The small orange creature greeted the two nin's warmly, but his happy mood immediately vanished when he saw the prone figure of the copy-nin unconscious on the floor. Realising the severity of his assignment, the little creature sat quietly while he received his message and vanished as quickly as he arrived.

The two seventeen year olds looked at one another with heavy expressions.

"We've done all we can Sakura-chan."

"I know." The sadness in her voice threaded through the air "I can't help feeling it's not enough. The amount of times he's saved our asses and now I can't even get him to wake up even though he's fine and..." She stopped as her voice gave out "It just makes me feel useless."

"You are not useless Sakura and I'm sure Kakashi-sensei wouldn't want you saying that. If anyone should be feeling bad it should be me. I shouldn't have got caught and he shouldn't have had to take that hit for me. This is my fault..."

Kakashi watched as his two charges dealt with their guilt over the whole situation and he suddenly realised just how much he meant to those two dysfunctional teens. It was eye opening; they'd obviously gotten closer after the whole 'Sasuke' thing. But that was not exactly a topic they wanted to broach in general conversation. But until now he hadn't realised quite how much he'd come to mean to them and to say the feeling was mutual would be stating it lightly. Those two incorrigible little bastards had wormed themselves under his skin.

The jounin sighed as he watched Naruto hoist the body onto his back and head toward Konoha. Hopefully Tsunade would have some answers and if she didn't...

Well he wasn't going to think about that right know.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: No your eyes do not deceive you this is an update. I managed to steal a few hours to get this written up. GO ME! Thanks to EVERYONE AND I MEAN EVERYONE for all their wonderful support.

I just hope I get some more reviews *hint hint*. ^_^

Disclaimer: Don't own.

Warnings: See first Chapter.

Otherside: Chapter Two

The team of ANBU met them about a mile and a half from the village's perimeter. Kakashi recognised the three man squad immediately; after all they were _his_ old ANBU squad. The captain in the wolf mask took charge; the strong female voice demanding a debriefing from the two shell shocked teens. Neither Naruto nor Sakura complained and quietly and concisely explained what had happened during the mission. The other two ANBU lizard and panther just moved beside them silently taking in the information. Kakashi also listened intently learning that after he had fallen Naruto had tapped into the Kyubbi to break free from his trappings and had blasted the son of a bitch straight to hell with a Kyubbi enhanced Rasen-shuriken. Suffice to say there hadn't been much left of any of the missing-nin after that.

They reached the hospital in record time and inside was chaos. Kakashi was suddenly somewhat grateful for his less than corporeal state. The hallways were overflowing with nurses and doctors, apparently they had all been clamouring to find out just what it was that had taken him down. Bunch of nosy bastards he snorted, the medical staff were even bigger gossip whores than the shinobi! And with people like Anko and Genma in that mix that was saying a lot. Either way if one more nurse walked through him he was going to raikiri someone, it was getting old fast even if it meant he wasn't actually bumping into them.

The hospital suddenly stood still when the Hokage graced the halls with her presence, flanked by the ANBU team that had met up with Naruto and Sakura. She looked furious and worried at the same time, not a great combination as the hospital staff were about to find out.

"All non-essential staff get you asses out of her this instant OR I WILL THROW THEM OUT! THIS IS NOT SOME GOSSIP HOUSE! You two..." She motioned at Naruto and Sakura "Bring the brat in here and let's try and figure out what is going on."

Kakashi's two students nodded dumbly and followed the busty woman's orders, moving his unconscious body into the private room that had been prepared in advance. The jounin watched with detached amusement at the whole scenario, he guessed it was the onset of shock there really wasn't anything funny about this situation. He'd never seen any of these people look so tense and that alone was causing the panic he'd squashed deep down to rear its ugly head.

Tsunade went about her business as briskly and business like as usual. She prodded and poked, pinched and squeezed and generally left no metaphorical stone unturned, all the while being watched by Naruto, Sakura and Shizune. After over an hour of examination she huffed and folded her arms.

"I can't find anything wrong _physically_. His chakra is a little out of whack but that's about it. I'm baffled there is no reason why he shouldn't be awake right now reading that damnable book of his. It's just like he's not there, but his brain functions are normal not like that of someone in a coma..."

The jounin stood and watched as Tsunade frustratedly paced up and down the room, muttering harshly under her breath. He wanted to scream' I'm here look at me'. But he already knew from experience that it was a pointless endeavour, his team hadn't been able to sense him so what made him think Tsunade would.

"I need you to tell me everything about the jutsu that hit him and the person casting it. There must be something on file somewhere about them." The blonde sannin announced, folding her arms.

Naruto looked drained and nervous, as though he didn't want to relive his part again. He'd already had to tell this tale three or four times and each time the guilt and sorrow was all the more pronounced. The blonde jinchuuriki bluntly retold his tale noting the forlorn look appearing on his Hokage's face and as he mentioned the symbol adorning the man's clothing the hazel eyes went wide.

"Tsunade-sama...?" Sakura asked her mentor, looking worried.

The older woman just shook her head muttering "It can't be them, they were just a legend. A fairy tale used to scare the little ones."

All the occupants of the room just looked confused, no single person being able to gather the courage to ask the Godaime just what she was rambling about. The Hokage continued to pace the room lost in thought and muttering obscenities that would make even the most battle hardened of warriors blush. From the sidelines Kakashi watched on with bitter humour, any other time he would have relished seeing Tsunade so flustered, so out of sorts. But the fact that it was over his condition did little to sooth his frayed nerves.

He turned his attention to the body on the bed. Kakashi had never really paid all that much attention to himself. Of course he'd always done what was necessary to keep himself in peak physical shape, he wasn't negligent. He'd just never really looked at himself and seeing his form for the first time draped in nothing but a hospital gown and a surgical mask was somewhat frightening.

Actually it was downright terrifying.

Kakashi had never thought of himself as frail and he'd cut the tongue out of anyone who tried to say otherwise. But in that current moment he did look frail and vulnerable, his pale skin seemed almost translucent further enhanced by the white gown. The only splash of colour, the numerous scars littering his skin in some messed up attempt at cross hatching The Jounin didn't like this image of him one bit.

It hurt to see himself so weak.

It hurt to know that others saw him like this.

It hurt to know he made those close to him worry.

It just hurt.

Tsunade had finally stopped her pacing and appeared to have a plan. Her eyes gleamed with determination and she cracked her fingers dramatically.

"Shizune, Sakura I need you to go to archives and pull up every clan list from as far back as you can go. We need to know who these people are and whether there is potentially any more of them. Naruto I need you to go home."

Naruto balked at the command "But... Can't I stay, Please Baa-Chan.?"

Blue eyes that suddenly seemed much older than they should peered up at the Hokage, guilt and regret burning brightly in the sapphire depths. The blonde felt her heart twinge with sorrow.

"No Naruto."

"But I can't be just sitting at home doing nothing. At least here I'll feel useful."

Tsunade shook her head fiercely "No Naruto I can't leave you here unsupervised."

"But what if he was supervised?"

The occupants of the room spun around at the newcomers voice, Kakashi included. He was somewhat surprised to find Umino Iruka standing in the doorway arms crossed against his chest and a solemn look on his slightly flushed face. There was a bag slung across his shoulders with bits of paper hanging out and he was panting slightly. Kakashi reasoned that he must have just heard and sprinted from wherever he had been working, ever the dutiful guardian. The silver haired man allowed himself a small smile, for although things were very different now some things still ultimately remained the same.

The Hokage just glared witheringly at the new arrival. "Umino-san."

The academy sensei bowed respectfully seemingly completely immune to the bone's most potent death glare. Kakashi chuckled; Iruka worked with Tsunade on a regular basis and so must have built up a tolerance by now.

"Hokage-Sama."

"So who am I going to punish for this unwelcome interruption?"

Iruka laughed lightly "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh you know exactly what I'm talking about." Tsunade growled "Now if you'll just let me know which one of your little _friends_ told you they were back and what you had to threaten them with, I can make this as painless as possible."

Kakashi watched with fascination at seeing a side of the Chunnin he hadn't before. In the times he and Iruka had met the two of them had come to an understanding. They weren't exactly friends but they were on friendly terms at the very least, the whole debacle of the Chunnin nominations firmly left in the past. But the brunette had always seemed so straight laced, the idea that he would have bribed or even tortured secret information out of a fellow colleague was preposterous. Tsunade seemed to think otherwise though and it was intriguing, maybe the copy-nin has misjudged the Sensei?

"I did nothing of the sort Tsunade-Sama, you know me better than that." Was all Iruka replied, but there was a funny lilt to his voice, which spoke of deception and half truths. "I just happened to overhear team seven were back and thought I'd pop by."

This time Kakashi snorted, if the appearance of the brunette was anything to go by. Iruka did not simply 'pop on by', he must have heard that they were at the hospital and gone into full on mother hen mode. Tsunade didn't seem to buy it either and the blonde's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Well Hokage-Sama?"Iruka asked redirecting the conversation, his voice was sickly sweet but had dangerous undertones of 'something not nice will happen' mixed in with the saccharine coated words.

Tsunade's face continued to darken and she seemed to contemplate her options. She gave a long hard stare at the brunette and coming to the conclusion that the threat in his voice was genuine decided to give in.

"Fine. You can stay for a while Naruto, but then you must go home and rest. Iruka if anything happens and I mean _anything_ you are being held personally responsible. Now get out of my way, I have other things to attend to."

Kakashi just goggled as the academy sensei nodded, just about hiding his smirk from the congregation.

The busty woman marched straight out the room followed closely by Shizune and Sakura. The pinkette turned back briefly before leaving the room and flashed a strained smile, Naruto just nodded in return before resuming his vigil at Kakashi's side. Iruka joined him on the chair which had previously been occupied by Sakura and pulled out a bunch of papers. Naruto watched his former teacher intently; it appeared that this was a practiced ritual between them just as much as ramen at Ichiraku's. Kakashi almost felt guilty for eavesdropping on the moment between the two, but he was curious to see how the two Nin's reacted around one another.

After a few moments Naruto sighed deeply and closed his eyes. Iruka still remained silent, giving the young man the time and space to get his thoughts together. The brunette apparently knew when and when not to push the Kyubbi holder and appeared quite content to just sit and wait for the blond to open up.

The two of them just sat there in comfortable silence, time dribbling by.

"It's all my fault Iruka-Sensei."

The teacher looked up from his paperwork an unreadable look on his face.

"Why do you say that Naruto?"

"He took the hit for me the stupid bloody pervert. He shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have needed to do that. God I'm pathetic."

Iruka frowned deeply and stared long and hard into his former students eyes.

"Naruto Uzumaki you are not pathetic and if I hear you say something like that again there will be trouble. It's not like you to go down the self loathing route and I don't intend for you to start. Trust me when I say it's not a good path"

Kakashi silently agreed with the brunette, he had plenty of personal experience to know that what the other sensei was saying was the truth. He suspected that it was the same for Iruka, the way the brunette had spoken told of a wealth of painful memories. The silver haired man was pleased that Naruto had someone to stop him from venturing down a potentially self destructive path.

The blonde jinchuuriki just looked at his clasped hands neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the adult. Guilt still burned brightly in the blue orbs and he refused to meet his former Sensei's eye.

"But..."

"But nothing Naruto. Listen to me when I say _it is not your fault_."

Naruto sighed "Why did he have to get in the way? Stupid idiot."

Iruka chuckled lightly "You know I asked myself the very same question once."

The blond head shot up quickly, a look of disbelief crossing his features. "About Kakashi-Sensei?"

The brunette nodded solemnly "This is something I haven't told anyone before. But when Pein attacked the village two years ago Kakashi-san jumped in to stop Pein and saved my life. When I heard what had happened afterwards..." A wince crossed the tanned face "I felt so guilty that I believed didn't deserve to be there in place of him..."

Naruto looked stunned "He jumped in to save you from Pein? He's never mentioned it."

Iruka nodded again, a slight blush dusting his features "And nor I. But that isn't the point I'm trying to make. What I'm trying to say is that I understand how you feel and I'm here if you ever need to talk."

Kakashi listened to the conversation feeling a little guilty and out of place. He knew he shouldn't keep listening but morbid curiosity ad gotten the better of him. The jounin remembered that horrific day well, he remembered jumping in to stop Pein's blade piercing the teacher, the battle that had ensued and... Dying. Kakashi shuddered violently at the memory; it was definitely not something he wished to repeat. He was shocked though at the way Iruka had felt about the whole ordeal. After all it was common place for Shinobi to die on the battlefield; death was a major part of their profession. Yet the man before him still felt guilt and compassion for his fallen comrades a luxury many Shinobi could not have if they wished to survive. But it also annoyed him for some unfathomable reason to think that Iruka thought so little of himself the he would rather Kakashi survive over himself.

If Kakashi had been able he would have smacked the chunnin.

But he couldn't so he contented himself with frowning invisibly at the man, whilst said man offered yet more words of comfort to his former student.

The man and not quite man eventually lapsed into a comfortable silence and the time rolled by. Before long it was nearing midnight and Iruka mentally decided it was time to turn in for the night. He shook Naruto, who had fallen asleep about an hour earlier on his shoulder, gently.

"Naruto..."

The blond stirred blinking sleepy eyes up at the academy teacher "Mmm... 'Ruka-sen... What... time."

Iruka smiled at the completely adorable look on Naruto's face "Time you went home Naruto. It's nearing midnight."

The jinchuuriki lifted his head from its perch and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. As his brain began to wake up Naruto realised two things: One he had fallen asleep and two: he had fallen asleep on Iruka. In fact he could see the little puddle of drool on the chunnin's shoulder. The blond flushed red.

"I'm so sorry Iruka-sensei. You should have woken me up sooner; I didn't mean to keep you here."

The brunette just gave a tired smile "It's nothing to worry about I wanted to be here."

Kakashi had been sitting for the last few hours just watching the two and there was something that was bothering him. Iruka seemed to have his own agenda, although he was there as comfort for Naruto something in his actions told Kakashi that the Sensei was there for more than that. The odd sigh, a glazed glance across the room, it was as though he was waiting for something to happen and Kakashi couldn't figure out what. The jounin frowned he disliked being in situations he couldn't understand and Iruka's odd behaviour on top of what was already going on was going to push him over the edge. The silver haired man forced the disconcerting thoughts aside and focused on his student, who was just getting to his feet.

Naruto stretched feeling completely bone weary and exhausted. He gave one last look at his team leader's prone form and sighed before moving toward the door. He paused at the entry and turned back to his former teacher.

"Aren't you coming Iruka-Sensei?"

Iruka gave a warm smile "I'll be along in a minute Naruto. I've just got to finish clearing up my paperwork. You should get going."

The blond shrugged and left the room, the door closing behind him with an audible click.

The change was almost instantaneous.

As soon as Naruto's chakra signature had disappeared Iruka seemed to crumple inwards, a wave of sadness radiating off him with the intensity of a tidal wave. Kakashi shuddered as it washed over him, chilling him to the bone and causing his insides to curdle. The silver haired man watched as the previously unflappable brunette gave a deep sigh and ran a slightly shaking hand through his bound hair.

For the second time that night Kakashi goggled.

Just what was going on? Where had the eternally cheerful, optimistic Iruka gone? Why was there this imposter in his place? And then it hit him with a force like a ton of bricks, this _was_ the real Iruka; this was the side he didn't allow the others to see. Much like he hid behind his mask and his porn Iruka hid behind smiles and kind words, much more subtle but oh so effective. Yet to see then man so unhappy made something twist in the Jounin's gut, he preferred the shouty, bossy and happy teacher to the sad form filled with melancholy before him.

"Oh Kakashi-san..." The brunette sighed.

The copy-nin started, could Iruka see him? He moved in front of the man but the sensei just looked straight through him, the answer to that question being a resounding no. Kakashi watched as the man finished collecting his things and then hovered at the head of the bed, clutching the bag to him as though it were a life line.

"Why do you always manage to get yourself into these messes?"

Iruka reached down toward Kakashi's face and the jounin felt a wave of fury wash through him. That little sneak, taking advantage of the situation to get a look at his face. He was shocked however when the tanned hand did not go to his mask but rather lingered over his forehead. Kakashi watched as the other man gently brushed away strands of silvery hair almost lovingly, the thought would have been laughable if it weren't for what Iruka did next. The brunette leaned forward and whispered softly into his ear.

"There are more people than you now that care for you, so please come back to us."

Iruka lent further forward and placed the most gentle, tender kiss on his forehead.

As the man's lips connected with skin the jounin felt immense pain twist through his body seemingly pulling at every fibre of his being. He vaguely saw the body on the bed twist as tough it was sharing the agony and the wide worried eyes of Iruka as he screamed for help.

Iruka's frantic, terrified voice was the last thing he heard before the world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Otherside:

A/N: *Blushes* Thank you so much to everyone for the wonderful reviews... I know I've replied to them all but it still doesn't stop me from saying thank you again. On a plus point I FOUND MY NOTES FOR THIS STORY W00T! I actually planned this out about two months ago, but then may have misplaced the book with the story notes in. It seems I left it in work (oops) and whilst cleaning the office one of the seniors found it and gave it back to me YAY! I actually danced a jig of joy, in work, in front of people and didn't feel ashamed. Although I did get some funny looks...

Chapter Three:

When Kakashi came to his head was pounding furiously. Clutching it groggily he cursed just about everything, especially one brunette teacher who had just decided to complicate matters. Just what had Iruka been thinking? The Jounin's musings were short lived however as he took in the scene around him.

The room was utter mayhem.

There was a flurry of activity as medics flocked to and fro, carrying various syringes and a host of medic apparatus that Kakashi couldn't even begin to fathom out. All the silver haired man knew was that he didn't like the look of any of them. The congregation was moving with a speed that Gai would envy, quickly and concisely working to calm or sedate the violently convulsing body on the bed. So far it had taken three rather burly male nurses and a night porter to hold Kakashi, well his body, down long enough to slap on some restraints.

"I need that sedative now!" One of the senior medics cried across the room as he splayed his full weight across the Jounin. It appeared the restraints were rapidly weakening under the sheer strength and stress Kakashi was putting them through. If the silver haired man had not been an observer at this point, he would have been impressed with the show of unconscious power. But as it was...

Beside him a frightened looking intern fumbled with the syringe containing the sedative, her eyes wide and fearful as she watched the thrashing man struggle against his bonds.

"HURRY THE HELL UP!" The senior hissed trough clenched teeth as a particularly wild and violent buck from the copy-nin caught him between the legs.

Kakashi winced in sympathy, not envying the guy one bit.

The hissed request and muffled expletive seemed to snap the intern out of her fear induced daze and she plunged the syringe deep into flesh, quickly pushing down the plunger. Almost immediately the pale body went limp. The medics breathed a sigh of relief.

For all of three seconds

Almost every possible warning alarm went off, as for the second time that evening the whole world went to hell.

"Shit! He's stopped breathing!"

"His heart rate and blood pressure is dropping."

"He's flat lined!"

"SOMEONE GET ME A CRASH CART THIS GODDANMNED SECOND!"

The Jounin watched on with helpless horror as the medics attempted to resuscitate his lifeless form. There was a barely contained frantic panic emanating from every member of the room as they worked, some trying desperately to force oxygen into the unresponsive lungs, the others tirelessly working to restore his failing heart by shocking it back into life.

For the first time since this whole ordeal started Kakashi truly believed he was about to die and it nauseated him to his very core. He suddenly felt very weak and it took all he had to remain standing, watching the whole horrifying event unfold before his eyes.

After three painful minutes the cardiograph bleeped with the signs of life, a small nanosecond of relief passed through the medics but it was short lived. They still had work to do as the silver haired mans lungs were still not responding.

"The mask isn't working, we're going to have to intubate." The senior said solemnly.

The congregation sprung once again into life grabbing quickly the necessary tools for the procedure. Time was still of the essence, they had to get the copy-nin breathing and quickly The senior prised open the now bared mouth and attempted to force what looked like a curved blade down the Jounin's throat. The medic frowned deeply as he attempted to force the blade down further but to no avail.

"Damnit! His whole throat closed over and I can't get the laryngoscope down. We're gonna have to go a different route. Someone get me a scalpel and quickly." The hurried panic in the man's voice did not go unnoticed by his subordinates. They all rushed quickly to prepare for the emergency procedure.

The senior held his hand steady as he made the incision into Kakashi's throat. Rivulets of blood ran their way down the ghostly pale skin, staining it with contrast. The breathing tube was swiftly inserted in a less than gentle fashion and the silver haired man winced, suddenly feeling extremely grateful that his physical body was not awake.

It was one thing to know that procedures like this existed.

It was quite another to actually see one being performed upon your person.

The moments trickled by agonizingly slowly and the medics held their collective breaths as they waited for the man to stabilize. The heart rate began to even out into a slow steady beat, his breathing being supported by the unsightly tube protruding from Kakashi's throat. As they passed the ten minutes mark every medic present breathed a sigh of relief. The senior medic wiped his sweaty brow with a hand, a slight shake coursing through his body. He turned to his colleagues a relived smile breeching his features.

"Good work everyone he's stable for now. But I want everyone to stay put until Lady Hokage gets here and examines him. "

There were a few grumbles but every medic present nodded an affirmative, the senior continued.

"We don't know what will happen between now and then so I want everyone to be ready for anything. In the mean time someone go and get a fresh surgical mask. I don't think Hatake-san would be pleased to know we're undoing all his hard work at being mysterious."

A nervous laugh ran through the room, but the atmosphere lightened considerably. Kakashi watched on his head still reeling from the complete mind screw he had just experienced, that had been without doubt one of the most surreal and terrifying experiences of his life. But he felt respect bloom on his chest for the medics; they had worked so hard to save him. He swore after this whole ordeal was over he would never _ever_ complain about being in hospital or give the medics a hard time _ever _again. He owed them that much at least.

Fortunately the exhausted medics were not waiting long, it appeared that whilst the Jounin had been unconscious the team had sent a courier to inform the Hokage of the situation and request her presence. To say that the most powerful woman in the fire country hadn't been impressed at the interruption to her beauty sleep was the understatement of the century. You could sense the angry spikes of chakra fifty meters away.

However there was no dramatic door being flung open and possibly off its hinges as the woman was known to do on occasion. It opened with a barely audible 'click', to reveal a woman known for her fearsome temper displaying a frightening amount of control. The only indication of the woman's agitated state being the angry spikes of chakra she was throwing off. The small smile slipped from the face of every present medic.

"Report."

The intern who had fumbled with sedative looked understandably nervous and shifted from foot to foot. After a brief moment the senior stood forward and tried not to look intimidated as he gave his report.

"At 23.50pm the alarm was raised. When we entered the room we found the patient having some form of uncontrollable seizure of unknown origin. We administered a sedative which seemed to have an adverse effect of the patient causing both cardio and repertory failure. We managed to stabilize the patient via the use of defibrillator and improvised intubation..."

"That's enough..." Tsunade's face was stern and bore no hint of emotion "Who raised the alarm?"

The medics looked at one another as if deciding who should answer their leader's question. The intern stepped forward and was about to reply when she was saved the trouble as another voice broke in.

"I did." The voice was so soft it was almost a whisper.

The small congregation parted and turned to the corner from where the voice had come from. There sat Iruka, his head bowed in his hands shielding his face from Tsunade's fierce gaze. Kakashi started, he hadn't expected the sensei to still be there. To be honest he'd expected the man to flee as soon as he saw the courier leave to fetch the Hokage. But yet here he was, curious.

Tsunade frowned deeply "You can all leave now; I need to speak to Umino-san alone. Thank you for your hard work."

The staff didn't need to be told twice and they fairly fled the room, leaving the Hokage alone with the academy teacher. The blond stood still for a moment and took a deep breath, seemingly composing herself.

"What happened Iruka?" The voice was surprisingly calm.

"I don't know." Again the reply was barely a whisper, hollow and defeated.

Tsunade was apparently not buying the academy sensei's explanation for a second and she folded her arms across her chest in annoyance, the calm demeanour slipping ever so slightly.

"That wasn't a request Umino. It was an order _what the hell happened_?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

For the first time since the Hokage had entered the room Iruka looked up and met the woman's gaze. The teachers face was contorted into a truly heart wrenching look of sorrow, his usually bright brown eyes dulled, haunted, full of pain, fear and something else Kakashi couldn't quite put his finger on. If ever the term mask of despair had been apt now was it and it made something twist painfully in the silver haired mans gut.

"Iruka I _need_ to know what happened." Some of the anger had left Tsunade's voice "I know you Kakashi have a rocky history..."

The previously dulled brown eyes flared back into life, sparkling with disbelief and a malice that made the Jounin shudder.

"You think I did this _intentionally?_" He hissed through clenched teeth, anger seething through every word spoken.

The Hokage didn't rely but levelled Iruka with an even gaze. Kakashi was curious to see just how the sensei was going to get himself out of this predicament. If the brunette told the truth there were bound to be a lot of awkward questions to answer and the copy-nin was willing to bet on every Icha Icha he owned that Iruka didn't want to answer them. If the teacher didn't tell the truth then he could possibly end up in a much, much worse situation, especially if Tsunade saw through his deception. It was a delicate situation, one requiring tact and finesse: skills Kakashi knew Iruka to possess. But if the look on the teachers face was anything to go by, he was about to crash through it like a bull in a china shop. The man's infamous fiery temper emerging in response to the man's wounded pride and principles. Tact and finesse be damned.

"_You_ think _I_ did _this_ _intentionally! _You think that _I_ purposefully sought out to _hurt a comrade_, sought out to hurt someone that... ' ' ... _Naruto_ _cares about_."

"I don't know Iruka, you tell me? After all your ability to hold a grudge is quite legendary."

"That was when I was a child _Hokage-Sama_" He raged, fury dripping off every word he spoke.

Tsunade just raised a tawny brow in reply.

Iruka's chakra was coming off him in waves, red hot like lava with the force of his anger and it was suffocating in its intensity.

"I resent being implicated for something based on my misdemeanours as a youth. I am not the same person and I would like to believe people realised that."

The blond just stood there unmoving.

"At the moment I'm not inclined to believe anything you say Umino. I have one of my best Shinobi currently fighting for his life and the only one who may have the answers is a person known for his intense dislike of that Shinobi. A man who openly and publicly denounced said Shinobi in front of a gathering of his peers."

The brunette growled again and from his perch by the window Kakashi sighed. The chunnin nominations, everything came back to that stupid little spat. If both men involved in the dispute... debate... Whatever they wanted to call it could move past it why the rest of the populace couldn't was beyond him. Both him and Iruka firmly believed in putting things like that in the past, it did no one any good to hold silly grudges over things that could easily be resolved and forgotten.

"That was _five years ago_ Hokage-sama."

"That may be, but my point is still the truth... I wonder what your parents would say knowing you were deliberately disobeying your Hokage."

The dark eyes went wide with shock and then narrowed with an intense fury that even had Kakashi shuddering. The jounin truly deplored the tactics Tsunade was using, Iruka was one of her Nin not some enemy. He didn't deserve to be toyed with so cruelly even if this situation was partially his fault. Kakashi knew that Iruka's parents were a distinct sore spot with the man, just as Obito was with himself. For Tsunade to use their memory against the brunette in an attempt to get information was just wrong.

"How _DARE _you." The malice was no longer hidden and it bubbled fiercely beneath the words.

Again a tawny brow arched in question. "How dare I what Iruka?"

"How _dare _you mention them. You have absolutely_ NO_ _RIGHT _to mention them_._"

A cruel smirk twisted the blonds' features. "Ah no that is where you are wrong Iruka, as you well know I have _every_ right to mention them. I was after all their Jounin-sensei."

It was Kakashi's turn to look shocked. He hadn't even been aware that Tsunade had taken on a genin team, the fact that Iruka's parents had been her pupils even more shocking to the Jounin. He'd never thought the woman would have had the patience to deal with hyper active teenagers, but then again the copy-nin had thought the same about himself at the formation of team seven. The silver haired man shook the depressing thoughts of his former team from his mind and focused his attention back on the academy teacher. Tsunade's proclamation was apparently old news to Iruka as he hadn't moved an inch. The sheer fury was still radiating off him with a suffocating intensity, mixing with his chakra to cover the whole room. His face was contorted in a snarl and the dark eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"You twisted old hag!"

"Now, now Umino. Remember just _who_ you are talking to." Anger flared behind the amber eyes.

Iruka carried on unimpeded by his Hokage's warning, his rage completely obliterating his rational thinking and tainting his vision in a cloud of red.

"You harpy! You sadistic, evil, loathsome creature! You gave up every right you had to mention them when you fled Konoha like a coward. You gave up every right when you abandoned them in their hour of need and left them to die at the Kyubbi's hand!"

Tsunade's eyes went wide at the enraged statement and then narrowed in the coldest, most frightening glare Kakashi had ever seen. He had never seen his Hokage look so angry or hurt. Iruka sensing he had touched a nerve went still, a look of sheer disbelief crossing his face at the words he had spoken in his anger.

"H-Hokage-sama... I..."

"Get out..." Tsunade's voice was deadly still and quiet.

"But Hokage-sama...I..." Iruka ignored the order and tried to explain.

"GET OUT!"

"I... I didn't mea..."

"_I SAID GET OUT UMINO!"_

It all happened in a flash.

Iruka was still standing there helplessly trying to explain his actions and the next second he was dangling in the air Tsunade's hand clutching at the material around his throat. Kakashi had seen a lot of murderous looks in his life time, it came with the profession. But he didn't think he'd seen one quite so focused as the one he saw crossing Tsunade's face at that moment. In that instant the silver haired man genuinely feared for the teacher's life. A tense second passed between the two amber eyes meeting brown and as suddenly as the incident had occurred it ended. The Hokage seemed to regain her senses and roughly dropped Iruka to the floor, the brunette looked up slightly shaken.

"Get out Umino before I do something I regret. You are not to come within one hundred feet of this hospital unless you are on deaths door."

For a fraction of a second Kakashi thought the stubborn teacher was going to argue but was relieved when the man simply stood and fairly fled the room. The jounin gave a deep sigh, how had things gotten so messed up? Truly the answer was beyond him for the time being, but he had a good idea where to start looking. After all what kind of shinobi would he be if he didn't take advantage of a prime recon opportunity. Not even looking back at his unconscious body or Hokage Kakashi left the room in search of Iruka.

The man hadn't been all that hard to find.

Iruka's disturbed emotional state meant that the brunette was leaking chakra _everywhere_, leaving an obvious trail for anyone who was looking and even for those who weren't. For some reason that worried Kakashi immensely and he upped his pace. He felt the chakra get stronger as he entered a familiar clearing, a very familiar clearing.

It made sense that Iruka would come here after what had just happened.

Before him the memorial stone loomed ominously, a blackened reminder of those gone before and a warning to those who still remained. Kakashi had spent many an hour here lost in his twisted memories, the cries of his fallen team mates hovering around him like a shroud. But that was not his reason for being here today, today his reason sat with his back resting against the granite his head bowed on his knees. The heavens seemed to reflect the man's mood as a torrential downpour whipped through the clearing, instantly soaking its sole occupant.

Kakashi approached with caution. Just because he couldn't be sensed didn't mean that he wasn't intruding. He watched in silence as the rain battered the man sitting unprotected from the elements, his brown hair falling limply from his ponytail framing the tanned face lined with sorrow. The teacher seemed unaware of his dishevelled state and looked forlornly across the field, sighing he wrung his hands together and leaned his head back against the cold stone.

For a few moments nothing happened and then Iruka spoke, and the words nearly broke the copy-nin's heart.

"Why does everything I touch crumble to dust?"

Chapter Three End.


	4. Chapter 4

Otherside:

A/N: *Dodges sharp pointy objects* I'm sorry, I'M SORRY! I didn't mean to pick on Iruka so much, it just kinda happened! Forgive me! *Bows* I know I'm evil and I'm sorry!

Anywho... I really seem to be churning this out don't I? *Grins* Thank you once again to everyone who has supported this fic, you are all officially 'the awesome'.

Disclaimer/Warnings: Little bit dark this one. Mentions of SIH

Chapter Four:

Kakashi loved this time of the morning.

The pre-dawn glow settled over the village like a protective shroud, lovingly warming the sleeping village like a mother cradling a child. Thin tendrils of light skipped through the streets banishing the shadows, seeming almost alive as the chased away the nightmares the darkness had wrought as it crept in the windows and roused the slumbering populace. From his perch on the Hokage monument Kakashi watched the village slowly come to life, watching in wonderment and envy.

After all he had yet to wake from his nightmare.

It had been a few days since his body had been brought back to Konoha and no one appeared any closer to finding a solution to his problem. He surmised that this was mainly because the ninety nine point nine percent of people weren't even aware there was a problem, Kakashi being the odd point nought one percent. The jounin frowned, what he really wanted to do right at this moment was throw a massive temper tantrum at the complete unfairness of this whole situation, because he was completely helpless to do anything about it and because no one seemed to have any idea what to do. But he was a grown man and grown men did not throw temper tantrums.

So instead he had climbed to his favourite reading spot and tried to calm himself. He had dared not spend another minute in the hospital; it was far too depressing and was playing havoc with his already precariously balanced sanity. That and the fact Tsunade's mood had been far from pleasant ad his unconscious body seemed to be the outlet for her wrath. If... when he woke up from this nightmare he was going to be having some serious words with his Hokage about her bedside manner.

Somewhere below Kakashi a bell began to chime reigning in his thoughts and bringing them nicely back to his other problem, besides Tsunade's appalling patient care.

Iruka.

To be honest Kakashi was worried about the other man. He had seen the breakdown after his clash with Tsunade, he had followed the other man back to his home afraid that he was about to do something stupid. Hell he had even spent the entire night watching to make sure the brunette _hadn't_ done anything stupid. Not that Kakashi could have really done anything in this state, but the fact that he had gone with the man gave him some solace. After all he didn't think Naruto could take another blow at this time and to lose Iruka would crush the Kyubbi container completely.

So he'd stayed and watched the entire night even though his head had pounded and his Sharingan had ached. He'd watched the completely exhausted brunette just flop on to his bed not bothering to strip off his wet clothing or shoes, shivering from the cold. The display had caused the jounin to frown deeply, the morbid irony not missing him. Iruka was normally the first to complain about people not looking after themselves, Kakashi had had a few tongue lashing himself over the years after showing up to report one too many times caked in blood, gore and entrails, rather than going to the hospital and getting checked out.

No, the irony of the situation really wasn't funny.

Kakashi stayed until the alarm went off, lost deep in thought. His mind furiously trying to comprehend what had gone on that evening. The whole seizure thing and the fight between Iruka and Tsunade were quickly thrown in the mental bin labelled 'Mind Screws', they were easily categorized due to the nature of the incidents. However one little, insignificant thing kept coming to the forefront of his mind.

Iruka had kissed him.

Okay maybe not so small and insignificant, actually it was more big and mind blowing and the silver haired man just couldn't wrap his head around it. Why on earth had Iruka done that? Clearly Kakashi had missed something major in his interactions with the teacher, but the more he thought about it the more he noticed a distinct lack of evidence to support what he thought. Before that night the teacher hadn't shown any kind of interest in him. _**Or**_ his mind interjected _**He's just very good at hiding it.**_ That thought gave birth to a whole host of other questions. Why would Iruka hide his attraction, if it was attraction, to him? Did he think that lowly of Kakashi that he thought that he would make fun of him for it? It just didn't make any sense.

This was the point where the alarm had gone off and interrupted his line of thought. Iruka roused groggily a shudder wracking his body, bloodshot brown eyes glaring balefully at the alarm clock. Slowly the brunette rose from the bed which was now soaked due to the damp clothing and gave a deep sigh, before stretching and heading to the bathroom. Kakashi heard the shower water hit tile and gave a small sigh of his own, the man appeared to be functioning maybe it was time he left. But some small niggle in the back of his mind wouldn't let him, something was telling him to stay that something was not right.

For a few minutes nothing happened, only the slap of wet skin on ceramic echoed through the silent apartment. The shower eventually ceased and the muttered sounds of aimless self chatter replaced the echo of falling water. Kakashi was about to give it all up and leave when the bedroom door opened and in stepped Iruka, towel wrapped tightly around his waist and mug of coffee in hand. He moved to the bed and sat down on the wet sheets, taking a deep mouthful of the bitter beverage.

Kakashi just stared, feeling embarrassment flow through him. He knew he should have left when he had the chance. The jounin moved toward the door and it was then he noticed the other mans arms.

Kakashi stopped and openly gaped.

Both tanned appendages were covered in pale thin scars. All of them were old, but their age did nothing to hide their stark contrast with the honey coloured skin. The jounin couldn't take his eyes off the surprisingly slender arms and the obviously self inflicted marks that blemished them. His mind reeled as to why Iruka had felt the need to do something like that at any point in his life and was abruptly brought to a halt as he realised how hypocritical that sounded.

Of course Iruka had been through bad times, he was a ninja, and tragedy came with it hand in hand. Kakashi knew a little about the other mans past thanks to Naruto and knew that the brunette had lost his parents at a young age, not only that he'd been betrayed on more than one occasion by someone who claimed to be his best friend. Kakashi shuddered at the thought, if it took so long for the other mans deception and cruelty to be found out, just how much potential abuse had the brunette been through whilst in contact with him?

The thought of someone hurting the kindly but volatile teacher made the copy-nin want to gag, and promptly Chidori something out of existence.

Deciding he had definitely overstayed his welcome Kakashi had promptly exited and headed back toward the hospital and upon seeing Tsunade's rough handling of his person had fled, knowing that it was going to haunt his nightmares for weeks.

That had been three days ago and since then Kakashi had done nothing but follow the other sensei. He was disturbed that no one had picked up on the brunette's mental state a long time before now but after watching for nearly three days he understood why.

There were no signs.

Not a single one.

Iruka slipped into his 'friendly-sensei' persona with flawless ease born of years of practice. If Kakashi hadn't known different he wouldn't have suspected for a second that there was anything wrong with the other man. Iruka went about his normal business, helping those around him with a smile on his face and a joke on his lips. Teaching his students both shinobi and civilian alike with enthusiasm and a gentle but iron fist. Kakashi waited and watched for that tiny crack that would alert people to Iruka's distress, but it didn't come.

The man should have been an actor, with performances like that he would sell out any theatre.

The only time the mask slipped was when he was at home alone. Iruka would come in, throw his bag filled with graded papers in the corner (Iruka didn't grade at home apparently) and just collapse on the couch. Then he would just lie there staring into nothing for hours on end, arms wrapped tightly around his torso. After a few hours he would drag himself up and go to bed and then the whole process would start again.

It was soul destroying to watch.

If Kakashi had been a weaker man he would have turned and fled from the man's plight a long time prior. But his nindo and hell even his pride as Naruto's sensei refused to let him leave and take the cowardly way out. The jounin was struck by an old saying that seemed uniquely fitting for the situation '_Those who are first to answer a cry for help are usually those whose cries go unanswered.' _Iruka needed help and Kakashi was going to do everything he could to see that the brunette got it.

However tonight as Iruka entered his small apartment his mask did not automatically fall and that set the Jounin on edge. He watched as the teacher went to his room and by the slamming of draws and wardrobe doors, assumed the man was getting changed. Kakashi's theory was proved as the brunette re-entered the living area now clad in civilian clothes. They were nothing fancy just a simple pair of dark jeans and a loose long sleeved white shirt, but the difference they had was startling. They made Iruka seem even more approachable and normal, if that was even possible. They just fit the teacher perfectly the simple design highlighting the slim teachers form. Kakashi found himself chuckling; it appeared shinobi uniforms really did add thirty pounds. He never would have guessed that the other man was so skinny, although comfortable and versatile the shinobi blacks weren't flattering in the least.

Iruka moved to the kitchen tied on an apron and began pulling out pots, knives and a host of vegetables and meat. Kakashi watched entranced as the brunette began to chop and peel, slice and dice all the ingredients before lumping them into the biggest cooking pot the jounin had ever seen. Seemingly content with his work Iruka filled the pot full of ingredients up with water, added some weird brown granules and put it on the boil. The copy-nin raised an eyebrow in wonder, just who was Iruka planning on feeding? His recent experience with the man suggested that the brunette really didn't eat all that much and even if he was expecting company he'd clearly made enough to feed a small army.

His musings were stopped as a knock on the door echoed through the small apartment. Iruka gave a small sigh and looked at the clock on his wall. Kakashi swore he heard the other man mutter something about being 'early again' but the smile on the teachers face belied the annoyance as he opened the wooden door.

"IRUKA-NII!"

If Kakashi hadn't been a ninja and a jounin ninja for that matter, he probably would have jumped at the mass that mobbed the brunette. Iruka laughed as he was pulled to the floor by a massive dog pile hug, instigated by from what Kakashi could tell was a group of children. Although it was hard to really tell, the things that had just entered were covered from head to toe in dirt and ragged clothing. They looked more like a group of trash monsters.

"Okay guys you're going to have to let me up sometime." Iruka's muffled voice came from the bottom of the pile.

The 'monsters' awed and clambered off the teacher and he swung himself up with practiced ease, born of a thousand Naruto tackles. Standing he gave a brief glance at the door and smiled.

"You can stop hiding Naruto. You know you're always welcome."

The doorway remained empty for a few seconds and then the blond swung into view; he had a slightly nervous look on his face.

"How can you always catch me Iruka-sensei? I mean I'm cloaked and everything."

Iruka just laughed "We've had this conversation a thousand times Naruto. A teacher just knows. Now get in here before you let all the heat out, the mites are freezing as it is."

Naruto hastily complied and was dragged into his own dog pile as soon as he set foot within the apartment. The squawks of protest from Naruto and the little ones exclamations music to the copy-nins ears. Kakashi watched in amusement as the children fought over seats and cushions, the small rabble a whirlwind through the clean and tidy abode. Overall there were about eight children three girls and five boys and judging from their size they appeared to between four and six years old. The jounin looked on in wonderment as he watched Iruka interact with the 'mites', the children clearly idolised the man love and devotion shining brightly in their eyes. Iruka smiled back the warmth reflected back in the brown depths genuine.

For a moment Kakashi felt jealous and then quickly shook the fleeting emotion aside.

The children continued to play fight and generally cause havoc, Naruto joining in at points in an attempt to prank the teacher. The brunette laughed at the failed attempts before reprimanding the children softly at first and with more gusto with each attempt. Finally he put his foot down and threatened to throw away dinner.

Now that got their attention. Eight tiny faces looked up in horror and distress, immediately quietening down to a tolerable level. However they were not beat yet and turned up the 'kicked puppy' look focusing it fully on the brunette. Kakashi winced in sympathy, there was only so much of that look you could take and not go insane and here Iruka had it multiplied by eight. Behind the gaggle Naruto smirked slyly and the jounin felt his heart lighten considerably.

"But Iruka-Nii..." Eight lower lips quibbled.

Iruka laughed loudly "You honestly think that look will work on me? Or have you forgotten who taught it to you."

The children's faces fell, causing Iruka to laugh harder nearly falling over with his mirth. Eventually he composed himself enough to utter a command.

"Come on you lot lets set the table. We're having stew"

The cheer that rose from the group drowned out the snort of laughter from both Naruto and Iruka, and the hoard dived into the kitchen each of them pulling out a bowl and a spoon. They clambered around the large cooking pot, their eyes lightening up at the aroma wafting under their noses. The brunette squeezed in through the throng brandishing a ladle and completely looking the part of doting housewife. Kakashi snorted at that particular mental image but the whole domesticity of the scene made him smile. Iruka slowly scooped up each bowl and slopped a large amount of the thick stew into it. The child in question then grabbed it back greedily and raced to whatever perch they had been sat on before proceeding to devour the food like a hungry animal.

The children came up for seconds and thirds making the copy-nin laugh and remember an old saying about feeding strays. He wondered idly just how and why the kids were here but in the end he dismissed it, after all this was the most genuinely happy Kakashi had seen the teacher and who was he to ruin it by over analysing things? After about an hour of stuffing themselves silly the children sat happy and full in Iruka's living area, a few of the smaller ones began to yawn widely and snuggled into the brunette who had perched himself in the centre of the couch. Iruka smiled and ran a hand through the masses of wild hair.

"I think it's time for bed."

The slightly older children nodded in compliance, rising swiftly to their feet. They walked over to one of the storage cupboards and began pulling out sleeping bags, whilst Naruto moved the furniture to create more space. The uniformity of the whole process spoke of practice and Kakashi once again began to question what he knew about the teacher. Just who was this man that would willingly give up his home and food to vagabonds, cute vagabonds but vagabonds all the same?

In no time at all the eight little urchins were settled in their sleeping bags, gently snoring oblivious to the two elders in the room. Both Naruto and Iruka sat on the couch, curled up on separate ends a mug of tea resting in one hand.

"They look so innocent when they're asleep." Naruto mused, taking a sip from his garish orange mug.

Iruka chuckled softly "Everyone looks innocent when they're asleep. I'm sure I still have that photo of you sucking your thumb when you were four floating around somewhere."

The blond nearly spat out his tea "Gah... I though you said you'd burned it."

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't" The mischief in Iruka's face was unmistakeable and he smirked as he took a sip of his own beverage.

"Iruka-Sensei..." Naruto whined.

The brunette just sniggered quietly "Don't worry Naruto; I'm saving it for when you become Hokage. Imagine that as an inauguration photo."

The blond went completely red "I hate you sometimes." He sulked.

Iruka seemed completely unfazed by the remark and just looked serenely at the little ones crowding his floor; he gave a deep sigh and shook his head sadly. Naruto seemed to instinctually know what was going through the other man's head and gave a small nod, draining the rest of his cup.

"There are more of them every year."

"I know." Was all the brunette replied.

"You can't protect them all."

"I know. But it doesn't stop me trying, no one else is willing to care about them. They just see them as nuisances who won't stay where they're told, most people don't know what it's like to live in that god forsaken place."

Naruto nodded in agreement "But you're going to wear yourself to thin and then where would we be without our Iruka-Nii?"

Iruka sighed "I'm fine Naruto, you should worry about yourself more."

The jinchuuriki snorted "That, coming from you. Mr I'm gonna throw myself in harm's way."

The brunette mocked glared at the young man and flipped an obscene gesture toward the blond. Naruto clutched his heart in mock shock dramatically dying as he quietly exclaimed.

"And the halo finally slips, he is no saint! The world is going to end."

Iruka growled playfully and launched himself at the blond, hands outstretched ready to attack. Naruto's eyes went wide as he realised just a second to late what was coming, he attempted to squirm away from the other man but it was all in vain Iruka had him pinned and was proceeding to tickle the life out of him.

"I.. Ru... S-stop it... you'll w-wake the little o-ones." He gasped in-between quiet chuckles.

The brunette paid him no heed and continued, a look of manic mischief etched across the tanned features. Kakashi watched on with amusement, the two of them really were like brothers and it was good that they had one another. The jounin dared not think what Naruto would have been like without Iruka's guidance, it was definitely not a thought worth thinking about. After a few minutes of play fighting the two stopped to catch their breath, panting heavily with huge smiles on their faces. The happy mood didn't last long and melancholy settled over the two individuals.

"So how are things at the hospital?" Iruka asked softly, not meeting Naruto's questioning gaze.

"No change, although baa-Chan has been in an awfully bad mood the last few days."

Iruka nodded silently a brief flicker of relief crossing his features at the fact that Tsunade hadn't blabbed their argument to the jinchuuriki. Kakashi could understand that, Naruto was currently under enough stress. Knowing that two of his precious people had just had a major falling out would do little to help the blonds' peace of mind.

"I just don't get how this happened. It's all so messed up."

"Life usually is Naruto, but you have to make sure that you don't let it mess you up. Trust me."

Naruto gave a small snort of disbelief "Says the least messed up person I know."

Iruka didn't reply but simply stared off into nothing, a pained look crossing his face. Naruto stood and stretched, popping his joints in the process. He looked at his former teacher with concern, the far off look something he was unused to seeing on the older man's face.

"Iruka..."

The brunette snapped out of his daze and quickly plastered a fake smile on his face. "Hm... yes Naruto?"

"I'm gonna head off. Are you sure you're okay?"

Iruka nodded, fake smile still firmly affixed in place. "Yes I'm fine. No get going you need your sleep."

Naruto stared for a moment as if seeing something for the first time in his former sensei, but then shrugged it off disbelievingly. He bade the other man goodnight and swiftly left, leaving Iruka alone on the couch. Kakashi watched as the teacher readjusted himself and lay down on the couch, his eyes swimming with a myriad of emotions before being tightly shut. The mask had once again come away revealing the wounded soul underneath and Kakashi felt himself despair. He perched himself on the end of the couch and simply watched over Iruka and his charges, feeling it his duty to silently protect them from the terrors night brings.

~End Chapter Four~


	5. Chapter 5

Otherside:

A/N: Gah... Sorry I'm a little late on the update, I've been very busy in work this week or so. Anywho... Thank you so much for all your reviews/fav's/alerts. I truly can't believe I'm still finding them in my email ^_^. Anywho people will be pleased to know there isn't quite as much Iruka torture in this chapter... I've angst'd up a few others as well lol!

Oh and I finally got 2,000 hits for this story *Squees* New record! BOOYAH!

Chapter Five:

Another week or so trawled by with a speed that would even make a sloth jealous and Konoha moved onwards. After the initial shock of Kakashi's condition had wore off, the random hysteria surrounding the quiet hospital room had dissipated almost immediately. There was just nothing intriguing about an unconscious man, even if said man was one of the most powerful Jounin in the whole of the village. The only people who still visited were Naruto and Sakura, their steadfast loyalty to their team leader never wavering.

They approached the hospital with their usual falsified cheer, a facade that had been carefully crafted over the last fortnight as they visited the older man. The hospital staff simply nodded as they passed through the dank corridors. Which seemed to get even danker with ever visit, the suffocating feeling of despair seeping through the narrowing walls. The blond and the pink huddled together in an attempt to ward off the tightening in their chests with the solace of the others presence.

They approached the door to the room that had pretty much been a second home with nervous trepidation; it was closed shut and locked. The two looked at each other worry evident in both green and blue eyes, something was going on and both of them silently acknowledged that the other knew it. Without a spoken word the two young Nin suppressed their chakra and moved toward the door, body coiled and at the ready should they need to pounce. They took their positions on either side of the door and waited for the opportune moment.

"You wanted to see me privately Kimura-san?"

The two ninja's outside the door relaxed immediately recognising the voice.

"Yes Hokage-Sama, I did."

Sakura recognised the other voice as one of the senior medics, the one who had in fact revived Kakashi that first evening. She let a small relieved smile grace her features, at least they weren't an enemy trying to kill their teacher.

"So spit it out man, I'm a busy woman."

Naruto chuckled quietly at the impatient tone in the older blonds voice, Tsunade really did sound like she didn't want to be there.

'Probably has a poker game on.' The jinchuuriki mused shaking his head at the somewhat predictable antics of their Hokage.

The man seemed to take a deep breath seeming to steel himself for the Hokage's reaction. Although they couldn't see the conversation, both Naruto and Sakura had witnessed far too many like it to not know the scene unfolding behind the locked door. They gave each other a small imperceptible nod, the signal to keep your chakra low and keep listening.

"I... How much longer were you going to keep this up?"

That caught both teen's attention and a look of confusion spread over their youthful faces.

"I don't understand what you mean Kimura." Tsunade's voice was flinty and cold, the click of her heels echoing as she paced the room.

"I think you do Tsunade-sama and that is why you have been personally attending to this case."

A low growl emanated through the room, a sure sign of Tsunade's monstrous temper rearing its ugly head. The observers felt a slight flinch in the other mans chakra but it quickly smoothed out and he continued to talk.

"Did you really think that the other medics would not find out about his condition? We're medic _ninja's_ after all, stealth and information gathering is in our skill repertoire."

There was a moment of silence and it hang heavy in the air, the angry chakra that had been flickering around Tsunade vanished in it's a wake a cold sadness swirled around the woman, Naruto and Sakura shuddered. They had only felt that chakra once before, it was the chakra of defeated woman.

"Who else knows?" She asked quietly.

Kimura gave a slight pause "O-Only me."

"I see." The stony edge of the Hokage's voice made everyone flinch "Well that's an easy problem to solve."

Again there was a flinch in the other mans chakra "You could kill me Tsunade-sama and no one would be any the wiser... But it still would not bring him back and you would have lost a good man."

Outside the door the two teens froze at the statement, just what had been going on? What had Tsunade been keeping from the about Kakashi's condition. Fear began to bloom in both of the Jounin's students and both of them acutely aware that they probably didn't want to continue listening to this conversation, continued to listen regardless. Tsunade had stopped her pacing and the soft shuffle of sandals moving filled the air.

Kimura sighed "I'm sorry to be blunt Hokage-sama but you've seen the charts. He's on the verge of complete organ failure and we still have no idea how or what caused this. His body has gone through rapid deterioration, the only thing that hasn't changed is his mental activity it still says he's fine. It's all far too complicated to work out on such a limited time span. And... It's cruel to Kakashi-san, he'd hate to know he's being allowed to live on in such a state, wouldn't it be kinder to just put him out of his misery?"

Tsunade voice quivered as she spoke "I.. I can't"

"Why?"

"I.. I made a promise, I can't break it... I just can't. How could I.. face Sakumo knowing I let his only son die under my watch. I promised to look out for him."

"And you have Tsunade-sama, but not even you could have predicted this and how do you think Sakumo-sama would feel knowing that his son was being allowed to live in such an undignified way?"

"..." The blond muttered something quietly under her breath

"Tsunade-sama?" The concern in the medic's voice was heartbreaking.

"I said you're right."

"I'm sorry Tsunade-Sama."

"Not as much as I am..." The defeat was palpable in her voice and in the air "We'll switch off the life support tomorrow and no one is to know until then."

"As you wish Hokage-Sama."

Outside the door two teens stood completely shell shocked, grief flickering across both pale and tanned features. Naruto turned to his partner unshed tears glistening in the sapphire eyes, only to find the same of Sakura her emerald eyes gleaming in the hospital lighting. Denial hit the blond square in the chest and he lost control of his chakra cloaking and he took off at a run, Sakura followed concerned for her teammate her own disbelief weighing her down as she moved.

The door to the room flew open and a wide eyed Tsunade loomed in the entrance, her amber eyes also looking decidedly moist. She spotted the two teens running down the corridor and her eyes went wide, a look of horror crossing her unusually pale face. Realising that Kakashi's students had heard everything she muttered the only thing that came to mind.

"Shit."

The mission room, Kakashi concluded was a really messed up place to work. Since he had never really been old enough when he was a Chunnin to man the desk and after that he had become an essential field agent, he had previously held a lot of disdain for the so called 'paperwork' ninja's. Over the last week or so though his views had been thoroughly changed. The 'paperwork' ninja were about as sane as an S-class missing nin and quite frankly they needed to be. If he'd had to deal with some of the people and ninja they'd had to over his stint as observer, he would be rotting in a prison for murder around about now.

Kakashi had never realised quite how much paperwork, mission request and reports actually came into the village. The silver haired man had never really been one for paperwork, his often shoddy and purposely defaced mission reports attested to that, but he did understand that it had to be done. He had the same concept when dealing with clients and the general public, he didn't want to deal with them he just had to. And yet these ninja's did this _every_ day, they dealt with obnoxious Jounin's handing in crappy reports _every_ day. They handled often angry, upset or just downright obnoxious clients _every_ day and they handled a mountain of paperwork that made Kakashi's head spin.

_Every goddamned day._

In the light of his startling observations his disdain had melted away.

And there usually at the centre of the mission room chaos was Iruka. He was apparently the go to man when it involved anything that happened in that room and the brunette seemed to thrive in the environment. He could get the Jounin to stop torturing the younger desk workers with a pair of narrowed eyes and a scowl on his face. He could ooze charm when dealing with difficult clients and have them happily off on their way before they even remembered what they had been complaining about and Kakashi was fairly convinced the man had a Kekkai Genkai when it came to paperwork. No man should be able to sort and file that fast.

Today had been no different and Iruka had plodded through his shift with the tact, charm and if all else failed, fury, expected of him. The brunette's mask to the outside world firmly affixed in place, never wavering for an instant allowing those he considered friends to glimpse the turmoil behind it. Not for the first time Kakashi wondered how surrounded by ninja's Iruka's distress had gone unnoticed for so long. But then he had to remind himself that until this 'situation' arose he was one of the oblivious, Iruka's perfect act fooling them all. It made him feel sick to the stomach.

The sensei sighed as he leafed through a few mission reports, squinting slightly at the appalling handwriting. Beside him the two other desk workers looked at him curiously, an unknown emotion in their eyes. Kakashi recognised them from usually being thrown out of Tsunade's office for something, Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Hey Iruka are you okay?" Izumo asked, whilst Kotetsu nodded his agreement.

Brown eyes shot up in shock, a hint of worry flashing through them for a second before immediately being clamped down. Kakashi's ears pricked slightly, maybe he had been wrong about everyone being oblivious to the other man.

"I'm fine guys... I've just been a little overworked recently." He replied, not looking either man in the eye.

The two males looked at one another not appearing to be convinced. Izumo shook his head in exasperation and Kotetsu frowned running a hand through his messy hair.

"That's crap Iruka and you know it. You're always overworked, you never stop, _ever_. You're wearing yourself to thin, don't think we haven't noticed." Kotetsu piped in.

Brown eyes darkened to almost black and they narrowed dangerously "I said I'm fine."

"No Ru you're not, you can try and hide it but you're not. I don't think you've seen yourself lately, you've lost weight even though you try and hide it with the baggy clothing and quite frankly you look awful. Me and Ko have only noticed because we're around you all the time."

"Seriously I sound like a broken record, I'm _fine_. Just had a few rough nights of sleep that's all. Nothing major or sinister, just a minor case of lack of sleep, nothing to get your panties twisted over, now go and bug someone who could actually benefit from your '_help'_."

Kakashi frowned from his perch on the desk, why was Iruka being so difficult? He knew the man had his pride but this was ridiculous. Iruka had been caught red handed and yet he still professed that everything was fine and dandy, it annoyed Kakashi that the man was so blatantly in need of help and refused to accept it. That he didn't seem to deem himself worthy of being anything other than miserable, that he didn't deserve to be truly happy and not just happy as a facade. Kakashi wanted to shake the man so badly, Iruka was supposed to be smart but his actions made no sense. He watched as the two Chunnin nodded to one another before plastering devious smiles on their faces.

"Weelll, if you're having problems sleeping then you know what you need... ALCOHOL!" Kotetsu cheered loudly

"Guys I'm not going out with you. I remember what happened last time and I don't think Anko's quite forgiven me yet." Iruka hid a small smirk under his hand as he rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. He knew they meant well but with his emotional state as it was he couldn't risk slipping, it was dangerous and he could end up catastrophically hurt.

"But Ruuuuuuuu." Izumo whined playfully, trying to cajole his friend "It's no fun without you. Kotetsu is such a light weight..."

"Hey!"

"...And then he tries to flirt with bar-people and gets rejected..."

"HEY!"

"... Goes off moping and I'm left all alone..."

"HEY! Izumo that's enough!"

Iruka laughed genuinely and Kakashi thought it was one of the most wonderful things he had ever heard. The man wasn't that far gone into emotion breakdown that he couldn't laugh, he silently thanked the two misfits and their wondrous take on friendship.

"Guys! Seriously knock it off" Iruka managed to squeeze out between guffaws "I can't go out tonight, I have classes in the morning... So thanks but no thanks."

Izumo sighed nodding his head, he knew when he'd been beat and this was one of those times, Kotetsu echoed the sentiment adding his own opinion to the piece.

"Fair enough you old biddy, the offer still stands though. The sake's on us and if you need to get a few things off your chest whilst getting smashed, who better to whine to?"

The brunette just smiled and nodded his eyes darkening with something Kakashi couldn't quite place right away, it looked like regret. The moment was broken as whirlwind crashed through the door, a very orange whirlwind which was closely followed by pink. Kakashi gawked at his students feeling the unease and desperation they were throwing off in waves. Iruka also went wide eyed as he saw his former student, immediately sensing something was very, very wrong he excused himself from the missions' desk and dragged the two distraught teens into a side office. Neither Naruto or Sakura resisted causing worry and concern to assault the watching Jounin. He followed the trio into the office somehow feeling that this was something that he didn't want to hear. Iruka clicked the door shut and turned to face his former students a look of panic crossing his face, he'd never seen Naruto or Sakura this distraught.

"What happened." He asked quietly.

The two teens looked at one another the sorrow projected from their eyes almost heart breaking. Sakura sniffed finally allowing tears to fall and began to sob, whilst Naruto just closed his eyes watery marks streaking his whiskered cheeks. The teacher moved to them quickly and gathered them in a hug without a second thought, holding onto them as they shook violently against the force of suppressed emotion. And they clung back like lost and frightened children seeking the one steady voice of reason in their mad world.

Kakashi watched in earnest a weird fluttering moving through his being, he hated to see his students and teammates so upset but was relieved that a least one person wouldn't judge them for not being Shinobi. He understood the reason they had come to Iruka, he would show them the humanity they so needed right now. But Kakashi wanted to know the why, what had brought his seemingly invincible students to their knees emotionally.

The scene continued for five or so minutes, the brunette just holding the two teens as they released emotions that had been pent up for some time. Eventually Sakura stopped sobbing and Naruto opened his bleary eyes, both pleading for reassurance from their former sensei with their expressions alone.

"What happened?" Iruka asked again softly "Is it to do with Kakashi-Sensei?"

Kakashi didn't miss the faint break in Iruka's voice as he spoke his name. The jounin watched as green eyes filled again and dropped to the floor whilst blue eyes hollowed, their usual spark of life gone. This was definitely something to do with him, but he couldn't think it to be that bad after all he was still here.

Naruto took a shuddering breath "I... We heard Baa-Chan speaking to one of the medics... They said... They said.."

"There is nothing they can do..." Sakura finished quietly, still refusing to raise her gaze "Tsunade-sama has been prolonging Kakashi-sensei's life and hiding the fact that he's been deteriorating. One of the medics found out and they've... They're going to..."

It didn't need to be said and Kakashi went numb with shock.

He was going to die.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

"When?" Was all Iruka asked, his voice nearly non-existent. He carefully avoided the youngsters gaze as his own eyes clouded with pain and moisture. Sakura buried her head in the elders vest, her hands shaking as she clutched at the green material and Naruto followed suit craving human contact.

"Tomorrow morning."

Iruka went momentarily stiff and just continued to hold on to his former charges as they sobbed into his vest. Grief tightened the tanned features and he bowed his head resting it on top of the other two. Kakashi watched numbly, shock at his soon to occur demise overwhelming his system and short circuiting any coherent thought. It was surreal and he vaguely felt like this was all a bad dream, but he wasn't waking up was he? This couldn't be real there had to be some explanation. Kakashi paused in his ramblings noticing what he had thought 'Ah the first stage of grief: denial. Joy'

After what appeared to be an eternity the three broke apart the need for solace and understanding somewhat diminished. All three looked totally drained but they slowly stood and forced themselves into a facade of normalcy. Iruka patted the shoulders of both the teens a strained and obviously fake smile on his face.

"Sakura, Naruto you need to go home and rest. Try and stay around people, it will make you feel better."

The two youths nodded and Sakura clasped Naruto quivering hand "You can stay at mine tonight Naruto and we'll go together in the morning."

The blond jinchuuriki didn't argue and allowed himself to be lead out the office by his teammate, followed by the academy sensei. Izumo and Kotetsu watched the trio worriedly, noting the despondent looks on all three faces. They watched as Iruka bade the two teen's farewell and turned back to the desk, his brown eyes clouded with hidden pain. Iruka approached the two chunnin with nervous energy dancing around him.

"Iruka?" Kotetsu asked, worry tingeing his voice.

"I... Is that offer still open for tonight?" The brunette's voice shook so much that both men thought he was about to break.

"Iruka what's wrong?" This time it was Izumo and he sounded no less worried than his partner.

"N.. Not now... Later..."

"Iruka..." There was a hint of threat.

"_Please._" The pleading tone shut both men up and they eyed each other with a grimace.

"Yeah the offer is still open. How about Rusty's an hour after the end of shift."

"Sounds good."

And to Iruka it did sound good because all he wanted to do right now was numb the pain of his breaking heart.

~End Chapter Five~


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: OMG! My worst nightmare just happened...

*Faceplants into keyboard and bangs head repeatedly*

Really. Should. Have. Passworded. My. Computer. Stupid. Stupid. Smaell!

I kinda annoyed my boyfriend by using his computer to download something for a friend in work (Mine doesn't have the software). It was more what I downloaded than the fact I used his computer. So in revenge he decided to ransack my computer and have a sneaky peek at what I've been up to...

ARGGGHHH! He found my Yaoi Doujin stuff T_T. And he had to go and look at the worst most perverted one (Which for those who are interested is Icha Icha Academy). *Dies of embarrassment* Oh god... this is so horrible.

Is it possible to be homicidal and blushing at the same time?

But I suppose I should be grateful. I knew he'd find out about my little obsession eventually and the fact he wasn't screaming 'YOU FREAK' at me and rather was yelling 'YOU'VE GOT PORN' and laughing his ass off is a good sign.

Still embarrassed like hell though. ^_-*

Ah well... On with the chapter. Thanks to everyone for the reviews/fav's/alerts (and listening to me rant ^_^)

Warnings: Have upped the rating slightly for some potty mouths in this chapter. You'll see ^_^

Chapter Six:

The Rusty Kunai or 'Rusty's' as it was better known was one of the worst kept secrets in Konoha's glorious history. The small bar was secreted away in the civilian sector and within its shabby walls and peeling paintwork was the most varied range of alcoholic beverages in the entire fire country.

And it needed to be, considering the clientele.

The ninja exclusive bar served everyone from genin to sannin, provided you were of drinking age or at least _looked _old enough. The skill of holding a henge whilst inebriated was considered a life skill and one the younger genin aimed to perfect. Usually with encouragement from the proprietor himself who was an ex-ANBU, his excuse was that if they managed to fool him then they could just about fool anybody. Rasuti-san was therefore loved by his peers for his easy going nature and it reflected in his running of the bar, he did after all have only one rule.

Leave your rank at the door.

Oh and don't wake the civilians... But that one was sort of obvious.

So Rusty's friendly atmosphere, quality imported alcohol and dirt cheap prices made it an ideal meeting place, one of the very few in the village where her nin could truly relax.

Kakashi watched stony faced as Iruka approached the bar. The chunnin had once again changed out of the standard uniform and was this time garbed in a long sleeved white v-neck and black cargo pants. If the jounin had cared to look he would have noticed the fidgety nature and nervous energy radiating off the brunette. But as it was he was caught up in his own self pity and irrepressible anger.

The silver haired man fumed irrationally as he watched the teacher approach his friends. He just couldn't believe after all that had happened that the other man was just going to give up in the face of his death and go and get completely wasted. It just wasn't fair, why did crap like this always seem to happen to him? He thought that Iruka, hell even his students would have done something to try and postpone the switch off. He thought that they actually might have cared.

Apparently he was wrong and it made his blood simmer with hurt.

The trio of chunnin moved inside the bar. Inside it was just a regular night filled with regular people, well as regular as one could get in a hidden village. The three men moved toward one of the darkened corners and sat down in one of the booths clustered along the edge. Iruka sat on one side, Izumo and Kotetsu on the other. There was a moment of uneasy silence and all three men shifted uncomfortably, finally Izumo plucked up the courage and spoke.

"So Ru, are you finally going to explain what the hell has been going on in your fluffy little head the last few weeks?" The bandana wearing man steeped his fingers in front of his face, an intense look in his dark eyes.

The sensei's face momentarily held a look frequently likened to a deer caught in headlights but he quickly composed himself. Although somewhat earlier than he expected, he had been expecting the interrogation from his closest friends. He sighed deeply and pushed a few stray strands of hair out of his face.

"Can you at least give me chance to get so drunk that I don't remember me spilling all of my dirty little secrets to you?" The words were meant to be humorous but there was no mirth in Iruka's voice, Kakashi felt himself wince.

The brunette's companions silently looked at one another and shrugged before Izumo moved from his position and walked toward the bar. As usual Rasuti was serving and he grinned broadly as the bandana wearing man asked for the strongest stuff in the place. Izumo returned from the bar balancing a large bottle and three glasses on a tray, he set the tray down gently and rejoined his companions. Iruka eyed the bottle dubiously.

"What the hell is that?"

Izumo just shrugged a playful smirk tugging at his features "It's called 'StoneSour' comes from Earth country and is rumoured to be the strongest and finest Sake in all the great nations."

The teachers eyes widened and he tried to form a polite refusal, but his friend's read the signs and shook their collective heads. Kotetsu waved a finger in front of Iruka in a disapproving manner.

"Now, now Ru. You just said you wanted to get drunk and here we are giving you a prime opportunity. You don't want to offend us do you?" The bandaged man sniffed dramatically, faking hurt.

Izumo rolled his eyes and clouted his friend over the head.

"What the idiot means is that you are among friends. It's okay to go a bit nuts once in a while; we're not going to judge you or think any less of you for what happens tonight. And y'know it might be kinda fun."

Iruka evil eyed the bottle once again and Kakashi felt the angry haze lift at the brunette's amusing antics. Reaching out a tentative hand Iruka picked up the bottle and poured himself a small glass of the liquor. He gave it a cautious sniff because some ninja habits were hard to break and deeming it safe, raised it to his friends.

"Bottoms up."

And he downed the glass in one, face tightening at the acrid taste of the alcohol.

Two hours later Iruka was very, very drunk. Kakashi was amazed that the man was still conscious, he had watched with growing fascination and terror as the brunette drank himself into complete oblivion. He'd already made it through three bottles pretty much on his own and was working his way through a forth. On the other side of the booth the other two chunnin watched with numbed horror as they saw a side of their friend neither of them had experienced them before. They were used to the slightly, okay extremely temperamental man with a cheery smile and a scathing remark. They were not used to this seemingly broken being in front of them and the worst thing was they still had no clue as to why? Even inebriated Iruka had somehow managed to keep his silence only slipping the odd bit of information briefly.

Kakashi felt his anger flare again at the false hope of helping Iruka the two chunnin had presented to him. They were not making the situation any better, if anything they were making it worse by giving the teacher a means to physically destroy himself as well as emotionally.

The quiet humdrum of the bar was interrupted as a group of four jounin stormed through the door, all already quite drunk and swinging off one another jovially. Rasuti-san just grinned pleasantly but even from their small booth the chunnin could see it was strained. The group paid no heed and continued rough-housing and carousing, ordering their drinks very loudly. The proprietor collected the drinks and placed them on the bar, snatching the money from the outstretched hand and heading to the cash register. As he was returning the change one of the other patrons turned to the group.

"Hey laddies, what's all the celebrating about?"

The apparent leader of the group took a deep swig of his beer and grinned manically; he rested against the bar and rubbed the knuckles of his free hand on his vest in a smug gesture.

"Oh nothing much just celebrating the demise of a thorn in our side."

The patron looked warily amused "A thorn in your side 'ey? And who might that be?"

The Jounin's grin widened his teeth glinting in the dimmed light of the bar "Hatake Kakashi."

A ripple of cold passed over the bar at the statement; the jounin seemed not to notice and continued joking with the patron. Over at the chunnin's booth Iruka went visibly stiff his hand on the sake glass tightening and his dark eyes narrowing.

"Hatake? What's he ever done to you?" Another drinker chorused sounding slightly annoyed.

"What hasn't he done the smug arrogant git? It's because of people like him that honest hardworking Jounin can't anywhere in this world. They just waltz in and take all the glory for other people's toils and waltz back out leaving us to clean up all the mess. Pffhh genius, some genius that's why he's unconscious in the hospital." The man laughed waving his arms flamboyantly, his fellows laughed with him.

Most of the bar sat in silence at the man's drunken rant looking uncomfortably at one another. It wasn't uncommon for there to be rivalries between ninja, but to show such blatant disregard for a comrade especially one who was currently hospitalised was just downright vile. The glass in Iruka's hand cracked under the pressure of the slightly shaking grip. Izumo and Kotetsu looked at one another worriedly, sensing an omen in the air.

Kakashi felt his ire raise a notch and he pleaded to all the powers that be to return him to his body, even if it was just for an hour so he could teach this self important worm a lesson he'd _never_ forget. The silver haired man could feel his hand twitching with the urge to maim something a thought that he was relieved to find a number of the bar's occupants echoed. Oh how he wished he could join into the fray that was about to start, it had been a while since his last bar fight and this one would have proved to be memorable.

Kakashi was wondering just who was going to start it all off when the jounin that had been bad mouthing him yelped in pain and a tiny 'plink' echoed through the silent bar as a bottle lid dropped to the floor.

The jounin looked furious as he scooped up the offending item and looked around the bar. Kakashi joined him curious to see who had picked such an amusing way to make their point. He didn't have to look far and when he spotted the assailant his jaw dropped open in shock.

It was Iruka.

The brunette had swivelled in the booth so his upper body was lent across the table and his elbows rested on the beer stained surface. The palm of one hand was flat and the other had a finger extended as though it had just flicked something. Kakashi gaped in impressed disbelief, if the man still had such accuracy when completely plastered then who knew what else he had up his sleeve.

It was a scary thought.

However it wasn't half as scary as the grin crossing the normally mild mannered man's face.

Kotetsu and Izumo paled and shrunk back they recognised that grin all too well, even if it had been a very long time since it had been seen. It was Iruka's 'prankster' grin and usually meant either something was going to get blown up or someone was in for a world of pain. Unfortunately the recipient of Iruka's wrath didn't know that vital piece of information and marched over to confront the grinning man.

"You think you're funny do ya'?" He snarled, brandishing the bottle top at the brunette.

The grin didn't falter and Iruka's two companions shrank back even more, mentally planning their escape routes. That was all they could do in this situation, duck and cover.

"Maybe, what I do think is funny though is that you would bad mouth a fellow shinobi, an injured one at that and not expect any recompense."

For someone so drunk Iruka's words were surprisingly eloquent Kakashi mused.

"And who's gonna give me it? Not you, you're nothing but a pathetic pencil pushing chunnin."

A dark eyebrow raised and Iruka's brown eyes glittered with malice.

"A pencil pusher I may be, but I'm not pathetic and I'm more than capable of kicking your scummy ass."

The jounin laughed evilly and gestured to his companions.

"Here look at this a little upstart trying to get in the good graces of the copy-nin. It's laughable, even if the bastard was awake and here I doubt he'd associate himself with the likes of you."

Apparently this was the last straw because the next thing anyone knew both men were on the floor tussling and fighting. The jounin had clearly underestimated the chunnin and now he was paying for it dearly. Iruka had managed to tackle the man to the floor and was currently laying into him with the force of an enraged bull. Hurt and sheer rage were pouring off Iruka and were resonated with each punch.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you! Scum like you have no right, do you even understand what the hell that man has done for this village! He'd bled and killed and even died for this village and what have you done you pompous ass! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

Kakashi looked on in amazement a warm feeling spreading through his gut at the brunette's impassioned words and actions. He couldn't even remember the last time anyone had stood up for him when he wasn't in the vicinity. To be perfectly honest he was fairly convinced it had never happened before and yet here it was right in front of him and it was enthralling. The warmth began to spread as he watched, Iruka screaming in the other man's face about knowing Kakashi and who he really is. Everything the man had been bottling up seemed to be rushing out in a torrent of emotion and violence.

Quite fitting for a shinobi Kakashi thought, a wry smile cracking his features.

The jounin after recovering from his shock had fought back tooth and nail but it was already too late, he had given Iruka the upper hand and now he was suffering for it. He grabbed hold of the sensei's hair in an attempt to slow the other man down, but it failed miserably and only served to pull the mahogany strands from their tightly bound prison. The hair fluttered down like a veil and rested just above the chunnin's shoulders obscuring Iruka's face from view. At the sight of the pure, primal, unbound Iruka something else jolted in Kakashi and he was entranced.

The sliver haired man watched as Izumo and Kotetsu grabbed hold of their friend and literally dragged him kicking and yelling off the other man. The jounin looking much worse for wear was helped to his feet, spitting blood on the floor. He shot a scathing look at Iruka.

"Pffhh Don't know why you're so touchy, the way you're acting it's as if you love the guy."

There was a momentary flicker of hesitation in Iruka's eyes and it was all anyone needed, the truth was laid bare for all to see. The jounin starting cackling along with his group of minions.

"Oh Kami you are, aren't you... That makes you even more pathetic than I thought you little fag."

Iruka tensed in his friend's grasp, a growl erupting from his throat. Izumo and Kotetsu looked at their friend in disbelief. Kakashi felt his own growl emerge and he itched to Chidori the asshat into hell, he'd already suspected what Iruka felt toward him but to have it confirmed and then openly mocked was excruciating. Kakashi hadn't dwelt too much on the idea; he had rather selfishly decided it wasn't important because the brunette couldn't like him for more than superficial reasons. However he realised after tonight's little display, it wasn't superficial not in the slightest. Iruka knew him, how he operated, how he functioned and knew that he was a real person underneath all the underneath's. It was somewhat liberating and then the bastard had to go ruin it all. Kakashi had never had the urge to kill someone but right now this pompous prick of a jounin was seriously pushing his buttons.

"Ru..?" Izumo's voice cut across Iruka's rage and alcohol filled mind.

"Ru... Say something you're scaring us." Kotetsu chimed in helping to haul the brunette to his feet.

Iruka stood silently staring down the laughing jounin and then did something that shocked most of the congregation, including Iruka himself.

He answered back.

"So what if I am?"

Stunned silence echoed around the bar as they gawped at the brunette and across the room the bloodied jounin sneered. Same sex relationships weren't exactly frowned upon in the village but it was generally preferred that those preferences were kept to one's self. To announce it publically was nothing short of social suicide. But at that moment social suicide meant nothing to the brunette, he was so very, very tired of hiding behind a mask while his life crumbled around him.

"So the little fag does have a set after all, if it actually meant anything. You're disgusting you unnatural freak."

There was a flurry of movement and in a split second the jounin was surrounded by people, everyone of them brandishing some kind of sharp pointed object.

The man paled considerably.

"Now.." Izumo hissed "I wouldn't say things like that to my friend, who knows what 'accidents' could happen." The bandana clad man pushed his kunai closer to the man's neck for emphasis "After all my friend is apparently much more respected than you."

Kakashi smirked behind his mask at the scene happy to see that even in light of the revelation Iruka was still beloved as before and he couldn't help but feel vindicated that the asshat was getting his comeuppance. The brunette looked shocked at the display of loyalty from his friends and even some complete strangers, a small but genuine smile crossed his lips. The other man however looked far from happy as the variety of ninja backed away, taking the hint he collected his goons and promptly exited the bar.

Iruka sighed and ran a hand through his loose hair and swayed slightly as the adrenalin wore of and the alcohol once again consumed his system. Izumo and Kotetsu just smiled in relief finally starting to understand what was ailing their friend. The brunette staggered slightly as he made his way to the booth, alcohol clouding his senses he crashed down heavily and lay back on the seat. Outside the clock began to chime midnight.

The droopy brown eyes shot wide open.

Tomorrow.

It was today.

Before either of his friends even had chance to ask what was wrong Iruka had already started weaving signs and had disappeared in a poof of chakra smoke. Leaving behind two befuddled friends and an equally befuddled Kakashi

Kakashi ran quickly through the village following the chakra trail the Iruka's teleportation jutsu had left and he was somehow not surprised to find himself at the hospital. The oppressive nature of the building loomed over him and it made his heart sink. He hadn't been planning on coming back here it had gotten to the point where he just didn't really care anymore and just wished it was all over. Because then one way or another he'd be free from this blasted existence. He followed the path to the room he was been kept in and tried not to shudder. Approaching the sterile door he almost felt hesitant about what he'd find behind but the silver haired man steeled himself and passed straight through.

The room was a barren as he remembered it, the only change being a single daffodil by his bedside. A gift from Sakura the most likely scenario. Iruka was already sat in one of the chairs nervously wringing his hands in his lap. His gaze kept darting from the prone figure on the bed to the door and back again, almost in disbelief that someone hadn't spotted him yet. Kakashi had thus far carefully kept his gaze forward and not on the figure in the bed, he didn't want to see himself knowing what was to come. But now he had no choice as the brunette moved and edged toward the unconscious figure still slightly unsteady on his feet.

Kakashi turned his head and followed the man's ungainly walk and finally his eye landed upon himself. The jounin winced he really looked like crap, his normally pale skin seemed almost translucent, the blue veins standing out harshly against the white. His body was hooked up to a number of machines, apparently doing everything from helping him breathe to helping him piss. The shudder Kakashi had been suppressing wracked his body and finally acceptance hit home.

This was the end.

The jounin sighed as he watched Iruka move up toward his face just like the last time they had been in this situation. This time due to either the alcohol or the realisation that this was his last chance the brunette was a little bolder in his actions. A tanned head threaded through the silvery hair as he stroked it away from the sweat slicked skin a look sadness on the man's face. Iruka withdrew his hand and just stared at it for a second seemingly contemplating something. Another nervous moment passed by and finally seeming to have made up his mind the brunette moved forward.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-san, but if I don't do this now I'll never forgive myself."

And he tugged the bottom of the surgical mask up and placed his lips against the slightly chilled ones underneath.

Kakashi stared in shock for all of a second, then the pain, the pulling and the all consuming darkness set in and he fell to the floor not even noticing if he hit the ground or not

What was that he could taste...?

... Sake...?

Why could he taste sake..?

Why was there something pressing on his lips?

And why did he feel like he just been thrown in a blender?

Maybe... if he opened his eyes it would make sense?

Mismatched eyes opened to lock with startled brown which seemed to be getting wider by the second.

Oh right Iruka...

Kakashi blinked blearily trying to focus his gaze on the man in front of him. Iruka stood completely still gaping like a dying fish eyes impossibly wide. The jounin smirked at the image and said the first thing that came to his fuzzy mind.

"Yo."

His voice was crackly, that was odd it hadn't been crackly after the first time he had blacked out and why was Iruka acting like he had heard him? Iruka seemed to pale at the statement and backed away slowly from the bed, tripping over his own feet and landing on his backside.

"I.. Iruka." Kakashi tried again and the man once again responded by backing away further and going white as a sheet before slightly green and rushing to the nearest bin, promptly throwing up everything he had consumed.

~End Chapter Six~

A/N: Okay you happy now I didn't kill him ^_^. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Unfortunately it now means I have to explain things Dang...


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So yeah this is my second attempt at this chapter... My home is currently a disaster area and so I actually have permission to use my boyfriend's computer lol! There are actually work men here now, but they're nearly finished (Thank Christ ^_^).

Anywho... I'm so sorry I've made you wait for this T_T It's been one of those fortnights. I would however like to thank every single person who has Reviewed/ Favourited/alerted or just even glanced at this. Thanks to all you wonderful, wonderful people this is now my most successful story.

DOMO ARIGATO *Bows*

Let's get on with this then... As usual reviewers will be showered with huggles and virtual cookies. ^_^

Otherside

Chapter Seven:

It took a few minutes for Kakashi's fuzz addled brain to start to focus. His head still hurt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to his skull and then ran over his body for good measure. But through the haze of pain the jounin was beginning to become aware of his surroundings. Mentally giving a sigh of relief Kakashi turned his gaze back to the man still heaving in the corner. Iruka's breaths were coming out in short sharp gasps as he tried to control his retching and even addled as he was the silver haired man could see the teacher was shaking violently.

Soon the brunette's breathing even out and he once again turned to face the copy nin, his expressive eyes wide with a myriad of emotions and a look of mortified shock etched across his features. Kakashi almost chuckled at the man sprawled out on the cold hospital floor or he would of if his damned throat didn't hurt so much.

Just why did it hurt so much?

With tremendous effort Kakashi managed to get one of his arms to respond and it slowly crept from its limp position up toward his throat. After a few agonizing and painful minutes it reached its destination and a look of panic crossed the copy nin's masked face as emaciated digits came to rest on a cold plastic tube.

Just what was going on?

Why was there something sticking out of his throat?

Unless...

Unless...

He was back in his body.

He could be seen, heard.

He could talk to Iruka, and he would have already if the damned tube wasn't putting pressure on his voice box. In a moment of blind desperation Kakashi tugged on the tubing. A wave of pain shot through his body and the jounin lashed out accordingly, knocking a tray of medical implements to the floor with an almighty crash.

On the floor Iruka's eyes went wider but the shock numbing his body prevented him from moving.

Outside the room a scraping of chairs echoed through the desolate corridor which neither occupant of the room noticed, already far too wrapped up in their separate turmoil's. Also neither man noticed the door swinging open violently and a pair of honey coloured eyes locking onto the brunette sat sprawled on the pristine hospital floor, not noticing the rooms other occupant.

"UMINO WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!"

The sheer volume of the voice was enough to wake the dead and caused the majority of the hospitals occupants to shudder in fear and sympathy for the recipient of Tsunade's wrath. Iruka however paid her no heed and continued to stare in muted shock at the silver haired man on the bed. The Hokage was never one to take being ignored lightly and she crossed her arms gripping the fabric of her sleeves in a death grip in an attempt to control her temper.

"Umino I asked you what the hell you are doing here?" Her voice was quieter but the menace was just as present.

Still the brunette said nothing just simply staring his whole body trembling. The grip on Tsunade's sleeves if possible tightened and the vein in her forehead began to tick violently.

"What the hell are you doing here when I forbade you to come here! God damn it Iruka answer me... ANSWER ME!"

The blond moved a step forward to grab the man by the scruff of the neck but stopped when a small flash of movement to her right caught her attention. The anger melted from her features and a sort of hopeful disbelief replaced it, the honey coloured eyes going round. Slowly she followed Iruka's gaze to the pristine white bed and as a pair of alert mismatched eyes met her own the blond Hokage let out a strangled gasp and staggered back coming to rest against the wall. She brought her hands to her face to hide the tears pooling in her eyes as she slid to the floor as her personal and professional emotions battled for dominance.

"Hokage-sama... are you oka.." Kimura had followed Tsunade into the room and upon seeing his leader on the floor immediately rushed to her side.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Finally the blond responded her professionalism winning out, eyes still glistening slightly she rose from the floor and brushed the invisible creases. Kimura looked at her quizzically and she levelled him with a stern gaze, her 'Hokage' face back firmly in place.

"Kimura I need a full assessment team in here right away."

The medic looked confused "I don't understand Tsunade-sama... it's pointless... "

A slightly cruel smirk twisted the blonds features "Pointless you say Kimura-san. Would you mind looking at the patient again?"

The man's brow furrowed but he did as he commanded, after all it would be an immensely stupid idea to disobey a direct order from the Hokage herself. As he turned to the bed Kimura blinked once and stared, then blinked again to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks.

"It's... It's not possible."

Tsunade's grin turned feral " So see why I need an assessment team in here."

"I... yes... I'll get on it right away Hokage-sama."

"Thank you."

Kimura left as quickly as he arrived, still visibly shaken. If Kakashi had had the capacity to laugh he would have, but right now everything hurt far too much to even contemplate the action. The jounin turned his mismatched gaze back to the rooms other occupants, felt the temperature of the room plummet a few degrees and his heart drop. Tsunade had returned to form and was staring at the teacher still perched on the floor, not glaring just staring with a steely look in his eye. Iruka had also appeared to recover from his shock and was currently staring back at the Hokage a fearful look in his eye, slowly he staggered to his feet gripping the wall for support.

"So Umino are you going to tell me what happened _this_ time or should I just ask Kakashi?"

Iruka paled considerably and dropped his gaze, mouth moving but no words coming out.

Tsunade shook her head "I didn't think so. You are relieved of your duties until further notice, if I can't trust you to obey a simple command then I can't trust you with our most valuable assets."

Kakashi eyes widened in horror as he watched the dejected man just nod softly. This wasn't fair Iruka hadn't done anything wrong and even in his vastly weakened state the jounin tried to protest, but all he could manage were a few strangled words and the tiniest of movements. The silver haired man mentally screamed in frustration, god damn it he was back in the real world and still unable to do a thing.

"Get out Iruka. I don't want you in my sight and if you feel like disobeying again I'll be handing the matter over to Ibiki. "

Both men stiffened at the threat but Iruka didn't let the fear he felt at those words show on his face and Kakashi admired his fortitude. The silver haired man had seen some shinobi literally wet themselves in terror at the mention of possibly being handed over to the interrogations specialist. The brunette just simply nodded his understanding and moved toward the door not pausing to look back. The jounin struggled against his enfeebled state to try and stop the man from leaving but as before it was a useless endeavour. Kakashi wanted to destroy something in his frustration, scream at the top of his lungs. He just wanted to be able talk to the man for five minutes, was that so much to ask.

Tsunade watched the man go a sad look on her face as she gave a small sigh before turning to her patient. Kakashi felt an irrational wave of loathing hit him as he glared at his Hokage, the blond seemed to shrug off the look and placed her hands on her hips.

"Don't give me that look brat, you've been out of it for two week. You have no idea what's been going on."

The silver haired man really wanted to protest those claims, but how on earth would he explain to his Hokage just what had been going on the last few weeks. Hell he couldn't even explain it himself and he was the one living through it. So Kakashi held his silence and continued to glare, his exposed sharingan spinning lazily.

There was a knock at the door breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal Kimura and his team, Kakashi recognised most of them from that first day in the hospital and felt a small curl of comfort bloom in his breast. The copy nin almost shook his head in amusement at his reaction, who knew he'd see the day when he'd be _happy_ to see medics?

Twenty five minutes later it was a different story, the silver haired man was beginning to remember just _why_ it was he hated the hospital. He'd already been prodded in what felt like a hundred different places, had _every_ extremity scanned and every internal organ scanned and had just generally been scanned to death.

And they still hadn't removed the god damned tube!

If he could have he would have growled, loudly. It was taking every ounce of his resolve to keep the promise he had made that first night and not cause them any undue bother. Couldn't they see that he was fine? A little weak admittedly but that was not really a big deal food and real rest would solve that.

Stupid medical professionals.

Finally sensing their patient had had enough the medics backed off to collate their data and draw their conclusions. The meeting was over surprisingly quickly and thy handed the report to Tsunade who's eyes widened in disbelief.

"This can't be right..?"

The young intern stepped forward "It is Tsunade-sama. There is absolutely nothing wrong with him, other than the chakra drain he is perfectly healthy but even that seems to be regenerating at a rapid rate."

"I... Okay...If you're sure his lungs are fine remove the tube."

"Hai."

Kimura stepped forward and levelled the jounin with an odd stare, as though still not quite believing that Kakashi was truly there, awake and seemingly fine. Slowly he picked up the instruments necessary for the procedure, ensured they were all clean and the washed his hands.

"Be aware Hatake-san this is going to be extremely uncomfortable and somewhat painful. I need you to try and stay as still as possible."

Kakashi nodded and noticed the whole team surrounding the bed ready to move if he attempted to do anything and the jounin could have swore he saw one of the males looking slightly nervous and shielding his privates. Kimura moved quickly and decisively, disconnecting the attachments and slicing through the bindings that were holding the abhorrent object in place, the medic paused for a second and looked Kakashi in the eye.

"I'm going to start pulling the tube out now."

It was safe to say that what happened next was one of the most unpleasant things that Kakashi had ever experienced and that was saying a lot considering his long and illustrious career. The tube slid slowly up his windpipe and out of his wounded throat. The sensation made the copy nin want to gag and he barely managed to hold off the urge for the time being. An agonizing minute passed by and finally the last segment of the tube came out with a soft pop and the hole quickly healed by the skilled hands. Actually seeing the length of tube that had been inserted into his chest caused the barely suppressed nausea to re-emerge and the silver haired man found himself heaving a mixture of blood and some other questionable substances into a kindly offered bed pan.

The attack subsided quickly and soon Kakashi was lying back against the pillows, his eyes shut as he took his first shuddering breaths unaided. As the medics left the room Tsunade moved to his bedside and sat on one of the chairs propped up there, she crossed her legs, foot tapping to some unknown beat. After a few quiet moments Kakashi decided to brave speaking.

"Hokage-sama." His voice although still raspy sounded much stronger to his ears.

"Well at least you remember who I am." Tsunade half joked resting her hands on her lap.

Kakashi gave her one of his patented eye smiles "Maa... As if I could forget you baa-chan."

The blond gave him a light cuff around the top of the head "And as if I could be rid of you that easy brat."

The silver haired man let out a chuckle that sounded like it was being dragged along sandpaper and it caused him to have another coughing fit. Apparently his lungs were still adjusting to not having a tube shoved in them and Kakashi was more than surprised to feel a hand gently rubbing his back.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Just relax Kakashi, just relax everything is going to be fine now."

The jounin looked confused but took his physicians advice and relaxed back into the soft pillows. He had a feeling that there was something that Tsunade wasn't telling him but as it seemed she wasn't going anywhere for the time being he was going to have ample time to wheedle the information out of her.

Iruka rushed through the hospital corridors his mind in complete disarray, the buzz from the alcohol was beginning to wear off and his rational thinking was starting to reawaken. Just what had he been thinking by going into the copy nin's room? He couldn't believe that even in his drunken state that his brain had decided_ that_ was a good idea, never mind kissing the man. Rejection stung through his veins at the memory of that stolen kiss, knowing he would never again be allowed such an opportunity. And then he'd gone and totally enraged Tsunade_ again_, so what did he have to show for tonight, a rapidly appearing hangover, a broken heart and suspension from duty. _Just great._

His night and stared badly and had just gotten worse.

The brunette was still bemoaning his cruel and twisted fate when he collided with something or rather someone's. Naruto looked up blearily clearly having been roused from his slumber not long before; beside him Sakura stifled a yawn. It took the two youngsters a brief moment to realise who they had stumbled into.

"Iruka-sensei?"

Damn the fates were being absolute bitches tonight

"Ah... Naruto, Sakura. What are you doing here so late?"

The two youngsters looked at one another sadly and Sakura was the first to find her voice.

"Um... an ANBU came to my house about twenty minutes ago and said that Hokage-sama had requested our presence at the hospital. They wouldn't tell us what it was about but we could guess."

The green eyes clouded with pain and grief and for a moment Iruka felt confused. Kakashi was awake why weren't they happy? And then the little voice inside his head gave him a good slap for being a complete moron.

_Because they don't know he is awake yet, idiot. They think they're being brought here to see him die._

A small smile broke out on his face, so maybe tonight would have one good point. He placed a hand on both of the youngster's heads and tousled their hair like he used to when they were much smaller. Both Naruto and Sakura looked up and were confused by the happy look on their former sensei's face. The small smile broke out into a grin.

"Believe me when I say it's not for what you think."

Emerald and cerulean eyes went wide as they discerned the message hidden in Iruka's words. Both looked disbelieving and their faces asked the questions that their voices were incapable of. The brunette nodded in answer to their silent question his grin growing wider, even though he could feel his heart breaking. He envied these two with all his heart but did not wish to prolong their misery or heap any resentment upon them because of his unattainable goals.

"He's awake."

Sakura gasped and Naruto's mouth fell open in shock.

"Seriously... You mean it Iruka-sensei..." The blond jinchuuriki croaked his throat tight.

Iruka nodded for what seemed like the millionth time.

"But how?" Sakura asked confusion creasing her features "The charts... He had deteriorated beyond help."

"I wish I could tell you Sakura but I don't know. All I know is that he is awake and doing fairly well."

"How can you be so sure?" The pinkette seemed mistrusting, almost afraid to get her hopes up.

Iruka looked her straight in the eye "Do you honestly think I would tell you if this was mere rumour? I thought you knew me better than that and besides I saw him and he was awake and functioning."

"You saw him..."

"Yes. Now Hokage-sama is waiting for you"

Sakura seemed convinced and a beaming smile broke out on her features before she took off at a run toward the main entrance. Naruto didn't follow and barred the man's path, levelling his sensei with a stare.

"And what were you doing here Iruka-sensei?"

The brunette shrugged nonchalantly not answering his former student's question. Naruto gave him a suspicious look and folded his arms. Iruka gave a hollow laugh and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He never had been able to hide much from the younger blond.

"Nothing much Naruto just got into a bit of a disagreement with a few scoundrels and Izumo and Kotetsu made me come and get checked out."

"A disagreement?" The jinchuuriki asked disbelievingly

"A disagreement." Iruka mimicked a smile worming its way onto his face "Nothing more nothing less."

Naruto still looked unconvinced "What is it with you recently?"

The brunette looked shocked "Me, I don't know what you're talking about."

The younger man shrugged "You've been acting strange for a while Iruka-sensei. Yet no one seems to know why? I spoke to Izumo and Kotetsu and they say you just dodge the question when it comes up. You never want to talk to anyone... it hurts to see you shutting yourself off like this. You're like my older brother, you look out for me and listen to my problems and I... well I care about you. But you need to understand that it goes both ways Iruka-Nii... I'm here for you too. "

There was a brief flash of pain through the dark eyes and Iruka felt guilt burn in his stomach, he hadn't meant for Naruto to get himself involved. Adult's troubles were not the worries of a teenage boy and Iruka knew that the young man had enough on his plate without him adding to it. He refused to be a burden to those he cared about most and yet here he was burdening them. It left a nasty taste in his mouth and it wasn't just the vomit from earlier.

"I promise you Naruto it's all fine but if I ever need to talk you'll be my first port of call to bore to death."

The words sounded so false, rolling off his tongue like acid but they had the desired effect, Naruto looked mollified at least for the time being. The blond placed a warm hand on Iruka's shoulder and flashed him a foxy grin, it was heartbreaking to watch the sincerity in the cerulean orbs and Iruka felt a wave of nausea erupt in retaliation to his deceit.

"As long as we understand one another."

"We do Naruto we do." The brunette replied quietly, dropping his gaze.

Iruka stood silently as the jinchuuriki ran to catch up with his team mate and felt tears begin to prick his eyes as the footfalls lightened. He scrubbed his eyes furiously refusing to show anymore weakness but the tears still came unbidden.

_Such a burden_. The little voice in the back of his head mocked.

_Such a useless burden._

~End Chapter Seven.~

End A/N: I'm not totally happy with this chapter as it was a slight rush job. When I get chance I'll come back and fix it. Just please don't sic ANBU Iruka or the smiling couches on me in the mean time (You know who you are ^_^).

The builders are still here T_T


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I fail at life... This is my second attempt at this chapter. I kinda lost the first T_T. Sorry for all the delays real life has once again been making me her bitch and it only promises to get worse *Sighs*

Anywho enough griping ^_^. Thanks to all you guys who red/reviewed/fav'd/alerted. I really appreciate it I truly do.

Chapter Eight:

The hospital of Konoha although never truly a silent place was generally considered to be peaceful, tranquil even. However as one would expect in a hidden village this was not always the case, every now and then there would be an incident that would disrupt the peaceful candour of the building.

This was one of those times.

"Why the HELL can't we go through!"

Naruto's enraged voice ripped through the near silent halls of the hospital and the blond jinchuuriki glared fiercely at the old biddy sat behind the reception desk. The elderly nurse glared back with equal venom and disdain, shuffling the papers clasped in her hand in a self important fashion. She turned baleful eyes on the two youngsters and gave a sniff of disapproval.

"I'm under strict orders not to let anyone through. So would you kindly leave before I have to call the Hokage."

Although the words themselves were polite there was not a shred of politeness in nurse's tone of voice, only irritation and rapidly surfacing anger. Naruto bristled visibly his fists balled up in anger at the complete audacity of the woman in front of them. Didn't she think for one second that they had a good reason for being there at one o clock in the morning that maybe the Hokage had _asked_ them to be there? The blond voiced his opinion in no uncertain terms.

"The _Hokage_ sent for us you moron." The voice was scathing.

"Like I'm going to believe that brat.." The nurse replied "Just go home already let us adults deal with things in here."

There was a visible shudder of anger coursing through Naruto's lean frame. Sensing her teammates rapidly surging emotions Sakura placed a calming hand on his shoulder forcing him to centre himself. Wide blue eyes met green and the jinchuuriki gave a deep sigh, he knew this wasn't the time to lose his temper and end up getting barred from the one place they currently wanted to be.

"Naruto...?" Sakura asked, her hand not moving from its perch.

"Its fine Sakura, I'm cool, you don't have to worry."

The anger was still bubbling underneath but with the pinkette's steady presence beside him he had managed to get it under control before he did something stupid. The years had finally taught the blond some restraint, he still occasionally acted rashly but the incidents had become few and far between. Sakura smiled weakly and released her grip on her teammates shoulder.

"There you are!"

An all too familiar irritated voice echoed out across the sterile corridor and both Naruto and Sakura felt a smile, admittedly a somewhat vindictive one, breach their features at the rapidly paling skin of the old biddy. Finally things would get sorted out and rather quickly by the look on Tsunade's face. The Hokage strode up an air of intimidation hovering around her and a look of annoyance on the deceptively youthful face.

"I sent for you two over half an hour ago." She folded her arms across her impressive chest and amber eyes narrowed. "Explain."

The nurse sitting at the reception desk continued to go a ghastly shade of white as the two youngsters merely shrugged indifferently, the small, vindictive smile still gracing their faces.

"We would have been here sooner but some old biddy..." There was a muffled squawk of protest "Kept telling us that she had been ordered not to let anyone through."

Tsunade's eyes flashed dangerously and she levelled the woman with a glare

"Now why would that be?"

The blonds' voice was soft but the undercurrent of threat was obvious. The nurse glanced nervously from the two youngsters to her leader and then looked down at the desk. The ghastly pale hue of her skin had vanished and a faint pink stain had tinged her bloated cheeks.

"K...Kimura-sempai said that you did not want to be disturbed and so I..I assumed..."

"You assumed that no one was to go through at all. How utterly idiotic! What if there had been an emergency? Would you have held up _that_ messenger with this useless drivel? Gah... What is it with people tonight, I have one who can't follow orders and others who just make it up as they go along!"

The two youngsters looked at little curious at the last statement but decided that was a question for another time, when Tsunade was in a better mood to entertain their curiosity. As it was the older woman looked stressed and haggard, but strangely enough much more content and happier than she had in a while. The Hokage planted her hands on her hips in exasperation and shook her head.

"Never mind. Just try and use your brain next time. I know you have one in there."

Naruto hid his chuckle under his hand rather poorly, eliciting a glare from the nurse. Sakura just sighed and shrugged in amusement following Tsunade who had already started to walk down the corridor at a rapidly increasing pace. The blond jinchuuriki soon followed and the trio moved down the sterile corridors until they reached Tsunade's office. The elder quickly beckoned the two accompanying her into the office and as they passed her she sealed the door shut with a jutsu, she then turned to face them an unreadable look adorning her face.

"I suppose you are wondering why you are here."

Both of the rooms other occupants nodded. Although they had a pretty good idea that why they were here, they were unsure as to how much their former academy sensei was supposed to have told them and they did not wish to get him into bother unnecessarily. If the precautions Tsunade were using were any indication, the Hokage clearly didn't want the news to leave the room. So both Naruto and Sakura played dumb for the moment, trying not to show to much hope or fear in their body language.

Tsunade continued and folded her arms once again across her chest, clasping her biceps tightly. She looked distinctly uncomfortable and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I know you heard what I said this afternoon."

Both teens stiffened visibly the happiness fleeing in a second, the Hokage noticed the barely perceivable flinch and smiled reassuringly.

"I was wrong. He... Kakashi is awake."

Relief flooded the two forms stood before her and both Naruto and Sakura mentally jumped for joy. It wasn't that they hadn't believed Iruka, but having it confirmed lifted such a massive weight from both sets of shoulders and they smiled the first genuinely happy smile either of them had in weeks. Tsunade watched the reaction to the news and had to admit she felt somewhat disappointed, she had been expecting something a little more dramatic. But then again the two youngsters before her had been through such a trying ordeal the last few weeks, who was she to judge their reactions.

"Can we see him?" The tentative request echoed around the quiet room.

Tsunade smiled and nodded softly "Yes, but only for a short time. He still needs to rest and recover. Although knowing Kakashi he'll be trying to escape tomorrow."

There was a brief snort of laughter as all three recounted the silver haired Jounin's rather legendary hospital reputation. Releasing the jutsu Tsunade beckoned the other two to follow her but before she could open the door there was a knock on the hard wooden surface. Looking vaguely surprised and somewhat confused the Hokage opened the door, only to come face to face with a runner-nin.

"Tsunade-sama."

The runner bowed respectfully and held out the large manila folder she had been holding onto. A tawny brow shot up as she examined the seemingly innocent folder and she took it from the runners grasp.

"What is this?"

"It's the information you requested from archives. The researchers apologised for the length of time it took, but the original transcripts were very old and in need of translation."

Tsunade ran her free hand through her hair and turned back to Naruto and Sakura, she gave them a shrug and sighed. So much for having an early one, it appeared the fates were making her their bitch tonight.

"Thank you for your work. Please pass that message onto the researchers."

The runner bowed again and left as quickly as she arrived as Tsunade glanced over the folder seemingly forgetting about the two teens. A frown marred her features as she began to sift through the jumbled information in an attempt to make sense of it.

" Naruto, Sakura you can go on ahead, it appears I have some business to attend to."

Both blond and pink nodded and moved past the woman , who was clearly engrossed in whatever the file contained. They exited the office and walked steadily down the corridor the only noise the thrum of the fluorescent lights over head. Approaching the room that housed their sensei and team leader, they slowed their pace and almost ambled to the forbidding door. Taking a deep breath Naruto raised his hand to knock on the door but was cut to the chase as a quiet, croaky but unmistakeably amused voice called out from behind the wooden barrier.

"Are you just going to stand out there or are you going to come in?"

Sakura rolled her eyes and Naruto gave a small huff of laughter before opening the door and stepping inside. The two students gazed in wonder at the man sitting upright on the bed and for a brief second they felt as though they were three years old being reunited with a parent after being lost. Kakashi saw the expressions and chuckled, the rasping sound causing his throat to tighten and him to cough. In a second the moment was broken and Sakura rushed to his side and poured a glass of water.

"Stupid idiot! You shouldn't be straining your throat so soon after having the tube removed. Didn't the medics explain anything?" she muttered, resisting the urge to smack the stupid, infuriating man who had caused her so much worry, over the head.

Kakashi remained silent knowing better than to invoke Sakura's ire when she was in 'medic mode'. He contented himself with giving her a warm eye smile and ruffled her cropped hair in what he thought was an affectionate manner. At the initial touch Sakura stopped her grousing and stilled, green eyes shining with unshed tears and a whole spectrum of emotion she just couldn't hide anymore.

"You had us worried sensei."

The Jounin dropped the smile and nodded solemnly, fixing both of his students with a gaze that hopefully conveyed all the apologies needed. Sakura gave him a crooked smile and resumed her fussing, whilst Naruto still hadn't moved from his position by the door. Kakashi focused his mismatched gaze on the blond jinchuuriki and found nothing but the top of his head, Naruto's head was bowed and he was trembling. Sakura stop her ministrations for a moment to look curiously at her teammate.

"Naruto..?" Her tone was thick with worry and confusion.

The blond didn't look up but moved toward the bed in a jerky fashion, when he reached Kakashi he fell to his knees, muttering apologies under his breath. The copy-nin's eyes went wide and he grabbed hold of the young man's shoulder vainly attempting to haul him to his feet. Naruto didn't budge but looked up into questioning eyes, guilt, grief and relief reflected in the cerulean orbs. He opened his mouth to speak but was quickly silenced as the jounin placed a hand over his mouth and shook his head solemnly. Understanding the gesture for what it was Naruto closed his eyes, a tired smile lightening the weary face. Behind them Sakura smiled warmly and pulled up a chair, the blond followed suit they had a lot to catch up with.

An hour and a half later Sakura forcibly removed Naruto, dragging him out by the collar whilst reminding him that Kakashi needed rest to recover. The silver haired man smirked as he drifted off into slumber happy that things were finally starting to get back to normal.

Kakashi awoke the next morning to a presence sitting by a side, years of training had allowed him to wake instantly without being detected. Maybe if he just kept his eyes closed for a little longer the person would leave.

No such luck.

"Nice try Kakashi, I know you're awake now open your eyes. We have some things to discuss." Tsunade's voice cut across his revere and the copy-nin mentally groaned.

Slowly he opened his eyes and turned them on the Hokage who was sitting in the chair Sakura had occupied the night before. In her hand was a large manila folder and on her face was a look of worried puzzlement, as though she wasn't really looking at Kakashi, just a figment of Kakashi. It sent a shudder down the man's spine.

"Tsunade-sama." He said quietly, his voice already sounding better to his ears.

The blond gave a weak smile "It's nothing bad Kakashi, I just want to ask you a few questions that's all."

"Questions?"

"Yes, what do you remember about the jutsu that hit you?"

Kakashi shifted into a sitting position in an attempt to make himself more comfortable and his limbs protested the movement. He steadfastly ignored the aches and pains and levelled Tsunade with a curious stare.

"Not much to be honest, just a bright light and a rather unpleasant pulling sensation. I could show you the hand signs if you wish."

Tsunade nodded and he flashed through the complicated set of hand signs, noting the frown on the blonds face get deeper and deeper with each passing moment. At the end he just looked at her a weird sensation bubbling in his gut.

"Thank you Kakashi you've just confirmed what I suspected."

A raised silver eyebrow was the only reply Tsunade got to her statement and she carried on her explanation.

"We've been researching what happened to you since Naruto and Sakura brought you in. We had limited information on the jutsu used against you and all we had on the person who cast it was a description and a symbol."

The Hokage stood and began to pace the room, weariness radiating off her. It was clear the woman hadn't slept but she was filled with an antsy energy that kept her moving.

"Then yesterday the archives finally found this."

She tossed the folder onto the bed and Kakashi picked it up his curiosity winning out. He flipped open the first page and immediately recognised the symbol adorning the page, eyes wide he scanned the rest of the page picking out key pieces of information. Slowly the pieces began to fall into place and he felt shock overwhelm his system.

"This is impossible." He muttered, still scanning through the pages of the report.

"Theoretically no. It's highly improbable, but all the other avenues we followed led to dead ends. This is the only feasible explanation left."

"But the clan died off over fifty years ago."

Tsunade shrugged "That's according to our records, but you know how unreliable they can be sometimes."

Kakashi didn't answer but stared down at the document in his hand detailing the clan's history, and their particular area of expertise. The more he read the more the crazy theory seemed to make sense but the whole idea seemed so outlandish it couldn't be real. His thoughts must have shown on what was exposed of his face as Tsunade cut across his thoughts.

"I thought the same last night, I mean who would believe it was possible to remove a person's soul without killing the body. It actually makes sense if you think about it. It's all about balance, only remove the 'spiritual' part of the chakra, and leave the 'physical' inside the body. So your consciousness is trapped but your body is alive, simple yet genius. Of course over time your body weakens as it needs both sides of the chakra to support itself. This theory explains all your symptoms"

"That's all well and good Tsunade-sama. But the big question is how did I get back?"

The Hokage stopped pacing "Ah... Now that's where all this comes undone. I have no idea."

"Really..?"

"Really. The documents mention something about a conduit, a channel for the soul to pass through. But it doesn't go into any real details as to what this conduit possibly is or could be."

Kakashi frowned deeply "But I'm assuming you have a theory?"

The blond shrugged "The whole jutsu is based on will. I suppose if it was wanted enough and the conduit was strong enough it could reattach the separated soul, but I can't see anything in the village having that kind of power."

"How about emotion, if an emotion was strong enough could it do the same as sheer will?"

The silver haired man's voice was beginning to tire but there was tone of desperation hidden in the crackly voice. The blond seemed to ponder the idea for a second.

"I suppose it's possible, it would have to be a very powerful emotion like hate or anger..."

"Or love?" Kakashi stepped in.

Amber eyes went wide at the question and then softened immediately as she nodded. Kakashi's mind was reeling as his mind put the pieces together, his heart pumping rapidly in his chest.

"Kakashi are you okay?"

"I... Yes I am Hokage-sama. Just a little overwhelmed."

That was the understatement of the century, he was completely overwhelmed. To think that all this time there had been someone in the village that had cared for him so deeply and he'd been too blind to even notice. His mind whirled on fast forward, he needed to talk to Iruka, he needed to talk to him right this second.

"Kakashi...?"

A stormy grey eye looked up "Hokage-sama, would it be possible for me to speak to Umino-san?"

Tsunade frowned "I don't think that is a good idea Kakashi."

"I don't care I need to talk to him."

"Kakashi! That man is trouble."

"Like you would know Tsunade-sama, all you do is run him down!" The words come unbidden from his mouth and he froze as they left his lips.

"Hatake.." The name was growled "Don't make me sedate you."

The copy-nin looked sullen, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

"What is it with my ninja lately?.." The blond sighed "You will stay here until the medics give you the all clear or I _will_ make you regret waking up. Hopefully that will be tomorrow morning and you are to have no contact with Umino, that's an order."

Kakashi glared at the bed spread like a petulant child.

"What was that Hatake?"

"Yes Hokage-sama." The muffled words were laced with venom.

Tsunade placed her hands on her hips despairingly "I may seem cruel Kakashi, but I'm doing with this good reason."

She didn't quite catch the muttered 'yeah right' as the door shut behind her.

~End chapter Eight~

A/N: Finally finished. This is the last filler chapter YAY! Next chapter we finally get the confrontation we've all been waiting for YAY!

Anywho to all my lovely readers out there I was wondering if I could ask a favour... Um I have an idea for another project after this and am looking for some feedback on the idea. I've already asked one reviewer (the lovely Seijitsu) but I think I need a few other peoples input. The idea is an MPREG so I'm warning you now in case that ain't your cup of tea. So if you would like to offer some feed back PM me or just leave it in the review (hint hint ^_^)

Peace, love and cheesecake!

Smaell out!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Look, look I got a chapter out on time ^_^. It wouldn't seem so sad if it weren't for the fact I am GENUINELY happy about that. Anywho thank you to everyone who offered me feedback last chapter, I appreciated it SO freaking much. *Huggles everyone.* and If anyone still wants to feel free. Huggles also go to everyone who read/reviewed/fav'd/alerted. ^_^

So without further ado let's finally get to the good stuff.

As usual reviewers will be showered with bakery goodness and huggles!

Chapter Nine:

The next day just couldn't have come soon enough for Kakashi.

He had spent the remainder of the previous day undergoing any and every test the medics could think of. By the time the evening had rolled around the jounin was sore, irritable and covered in ridiculous array of gaudy band-aids. Which the simpering nurses had found amusing to stick over the numerous puncture wounds he had accumulated throughout the day.

No, tomorrow truly couldn't have come soon enough at all.

When dawn finally broke over the village the silver haired man had immediately sprung into action, adamant that he was not spending another moment in this, his own special branch of hell. Having been given the all clear the night before there wasn't anything stopping him. He'd only stayed overnight at the request of the medics and Kakashi had complied somewhat begrudgingly. But the jounin would be damned if he stayed any longer, further risking another encounter with Tsunade. He just couldn't face the woman right now; his emotions were still running rampant and he knew he would shoot his mouth off if he saw her. The exchange more than likely ending with Kakashi back in hospital and in a much worse state than he'd been.

Sighing he ran a hand through his bed mussed hair and swung his body out of the sterile and downright uncomfortable cot. He gave a stretch as his protesting muscles spasmed at the usage causing him to wince slightly, the cool breeze of the morning blowing across his bare back not helping matters. That made the first port of call clothing and Kakashi set to rummaging through the numerous drawers littered about the private room. Honestly not expecting to find anything the jounin was pleasantly surprised a pair of worn looking jeans and a thick high neck sweater in his size. With a small smile on his face he pulled on the garments making a mental note to find out who had smuggled them in.

Finally clothed Kakashi moved toward the window planning to escape through his usual route but stopped before opening the receptacle and turned instead walking out the door. Really he was saving himself a whole world of hassle in the long run. If he discharged himself properly then it meant Tsunade wouldn't have to send anyone after him to get them signed, meaning that she wouldn't be alerted to the fact that he was about to go against orders.

The jounin stopped as a loud clatter broke his concentration, face trained into his traditional bored look Kakashi looked up.

"Hatake-San." The voice was shocked.

It was the intern from Kimura's team eyes wide and mouth gaping. After a moment she realised she'd been staring and flushed a brilliant red and promptly dropped to the floor to pick up the tray she had dropped. Feeling sympathetic Kakashi bent down to help her causing the young woman to jump and drop the items.

Kakashi chuckled.

The interns flush deepened.

"Is it really so surprising to see me up and out of bed?" He asked amusement obvious in his still damaged voice.

"No, It's more a case of me being shocked at seeing you up, about and not jumping out the window for dear life."

The witty comment caught Kakashi off guard and a raspy laugh erupted from his lips. It hurt but it was a pain that Kakashi could live with a thousand lifetimes over, it was worth every moment just to feel that lightness in his chest that only true amusement could bring. The intern gave a shy smile her face still an interesting shade of crimson.

"Well I thought I'd do things a bit differently this time. It has been an odd few weeks."

The young woman said nothing but simply nodded in reply agreeing whole heartedly with the Jounin's comment. They parted ways and Kakashi hurried to the reception desk, eager to escape. The nurse on duty looked as shocked as the intern and the silver haired man was beginning to hastily regret his decision to do things properly. He hadn't had this many people staring at him like he was crazy since that Psych evaluation before he took on team seven. Pushing away the disconcerting thoughts Kakashi quickly signed the discharge paper work and walked out of the front entrance.

Smack bang in Naruto.

The blond looked up and a smile crossed his features, but Kakashi could see it was forced. Something was wrong, very wrong.

"Naruto, what's wrong?"

The jinchuuriki looked away and rubbed his head nervously "It's nothing really."

Kakashi was not convinced in the slightest and he folded his arms across his chest, Naruto saw the gesture and sighed silently cursing his inability to properly hide his emotions.

"It's Iruka-sensei. I can't find him."

A lead weight dropped into Kakashi gut and a sliver of panic wormed its way through his heart.

"I went to see him yesterday. I was gonna surprise him at the academy take him to lunch but when I got there he wasn't there. So I went to his apartment and he wasn't there either and I've been looking all over Konoha for him and I can't find him... And I'm worried because he's been acting strange recently and then I heard the gate guards talking about how he blew up at some jounin who was bad mouthing you the night you woke up, so I thought he might have been here... and... and.."

"Okay Naruto you need to calm down. I'm sure he's fine, you've probably been just missing him."

Kakashi placed a reassuring hand on the youngsters shoulder, unsure of whom he was trying to convince more himself or the blond. Even to his own ears the words sounded false and Naruto didn't seem to buy them either.

"But you don't understand! The last time he was like this was with the whole Mizuki-bastard incident and..."

The blue eyes dimmed and pain flashed through them.

"Something happened." Kakashi stated bluntly.

Naruto simply nodded fidgeting on the spot. "I don't know what, but he ended up in hospital for over a week."

The sliver of panic erupted into a full blown pulse and it thrummed through Kakashi's body. He had a pretty good idea what had happened if the marks on Iruka's arms were anything to go by and it sent a shudder down the Jounin's spine. He had to act fast but first he had to get rid of the blond in front of him.

"Naruto you need to go home and rest. You're clearly exhausted and will only hinder the search."

"But..."

"No buts Naruto you need sleep, you look as though you are about to drop."

"But..."

"I said no buts. Home. Sleep. Rest. Now. That's an order."

"Yes sir."

Naruto looked put out but didn't argue anymore and swiftly raced off toward his apartment. When Kakashi could no longer sense the other's chakra he bit his thumb and summoned Pakkun, the chakra usage making his head spin. The pug looked up eyes narrowed.

"What do ya' want boss?"

Kakashi grit his teeth fighting off nausea "I need you to find someone. You remember Iruka-sensei?"

The pug nodded his squashed face "The one you lent me to during the jailbreak right, why do you need to find him?"

"None of your business pup. Just find him."

"Alright, alright. Sheesh humans." The pug grumbled, rolling his beady eyes.

The small dog carefully sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes before bounding off. Kakashi followed obediently knowing that Pakkun would not let him down, the search was on and hopefully it would not be too late.

Iruka sat and sighed as he cast a weary gaze over the slowly waking village, seemingly entranced by the play of light and shadow. The brunette hadn't been home since the night Kakashi had awoken in the hospital and it showed in his appearance. He was still clad in the clothing he had worn to the bar, was unshaven and had dark circles under his expressive eyes, showing the man's wearied state. However Iruka's physical appearance didn't hold a candle to the tultumous whirl of emotion currently occupying the man's being, in comparison it was a mere inconsequentiality.

"How did everything get so fucked up?"

The chunnin voiced his question out loud as he ran a hand through his bedraggled locks; he had come to his quiet spot in order to find a balm for his troubled mind. To try and find that sense of normalcy, that sense of feeling that had been painfully bereft over the last few weeks leaving only numbness in its absence. If even the splendour of the village below his feet couldn't warm his despairing heart and soul, then Iruka knew that he was in real trouble.

He had passed the point of no return.

"I wish you were here Sandaime-sama."

He whispered to the stone head he was currently perched upon.

"I truly do, I could really do with some of that sage advice you seemed to always produce round about now."

A light breeze rustled through the trees in an almost mocking manner, emphasising the man's loneliness. Iruka shuddered slightly drew his arms tighter around himself in an attempt to ward off the chill.

"I really just can't understand how I managed to mess things up so badly. Actually scratch that, yes I do, I was a colossal emotional idiot."

The brunette dropped his head to his bent knees and gave let out a shuddering breath that bespoke of true agony.

"You always warned me my emotions would get me into trouble, I just wish I'd truly believed you and maybe I wouldn't be in this situation. Tsunade-sama is royally pissed at me, Naruto is worried about me; I outted myself to practically the entire village and Kakashi-san..." Here his voice broke slightly "Kakashi-san hates me."

The picked up blowing brightly coloured leaves from the branches, they swirled around the depressed form of the teacher tauntingly close before blowing over the edge. Iruka looked up and followed the multi hued foliage with a serious look.

"He must hate me; the look on his face when he saw what I had done was one of sheer revulsion. He was disgusted that someone he thought he could trust was a bloody gay and had been lusting over him. It hurt so much to see his disgust. I think I could have dealt with him not knowing and whatever this is being unrequited but for him to know and..."

Here his voice turned bitter and he let a humourless chuckle pass through his lips. He stood, unfurling his body like a cat as he stalked toward the edge of the cliff.

"They shouldn't have to be burdened with that, with me. Not Naruto, not Kakashi, not any of them. All I seem to do is make them more and more unhappy."

Iruka paused looking over the edge, staring longingly at the sheer drop under the stone faces.

"I should stop being so selfish, they would be better off without me weighing them down causing them pain. I should stop being so selfish and cowardly."

Mind made up the brunette took in a deep breath taking in the beauty around him before closing his eyes, an almost serene expression crossing his features.

"It's time I set them free of my burden."

And he stepped forward.

"IRUKA NO!"

Iruka's eyes flew open at the shouted exclamation and he felt the air rush from his lungs as he was very forcibly yanked by the back of his T. Shirt into a pair of strong arms. The chunnin felt himself begin to tremble against his will as an all too familiar voice growled in his ear.

"What the _hell_ do you think you are doing?"

Iruka couldn't control the feeling spiralling out of control in his chest as the arms tightened around him, not painfully, but enough to let him know that he was NOT going anywhere until he had given a sufficient answer. He swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes.

"It is none of your business Hatake-san."

Behind him Kakashi actually growled and the brunette tried to ignore the noise, ignore the warmth emanating from the body behind him and ignore the fact that Kakashi was there at all because it made this all so much harder.

"Iruka I'll ask you one more time. What the _hell_ did you think you were doing?"

"Like I said Hatake-san, it is _none of your business_."

Kakashi whirled the man around in his arms mismatched eyes flashing bloody murder. The brunette kept his eyes shut tight unwilling to face his would be saviour, knowing it would make him break completely.

"God damn it Iruka, I would think stopping you from walking off a cliff would _make_ it my business."

"I didn't ask you to stop me." Was the quiet, curt reply.

The jounin sighed and closed his eyes suddenly feeling incredibly tired even though he had only woken up a few hours previously. The silence between the two men stretched for what seemed to be an eternity, finally unable to take it any more Iruka spoke.

"Isn't this where you ask me why?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't ask questions I already know the answer to."

The brunette gave an indignant snort "As if you have any idea about me, you barely know me Hatake-san."

"I know more about you Iruka than you think..."

The chunnin squirmed in Kakashi's grasp and Iruka felt momentarily flare with hope at the other mans words, a hope he quickly clamped down. It was impossible Kakashi couldn't know him before this they had been merely acquaintances who sometimes interacted because of a shared student. He couldn't possibly know the real him because Iruka knew he had shown Kakashi nothing but the person he was expected to be, the happy go lucky, quick tempered sensei.

"You're a liar."

The words fell from his mouth before he even realised and the brunette saw the look of hurt cross the older man's face. Iruka felt a moment of guilt but quickly squashed the feeling; he had to push Kakashi away before he lost control and did something even more stupid like kiss the man again.

"True, but I never lie about things that are important to me."

Again the wild hope sprang up in Iruka's chest and this time it took a little longer to suppress, it was getting harder and harder to ignore the emotions fluttering through him. Could he believe what Kakashi was saying? It had to be a ruse; the man would not have any interest in him other than to stop him from walking off the cliff. The thought hurt and the chunnin focused on it allowing the numbness it brought to control himself.

"Well then you still must be lying then." Iruka answered coldly, not daring to meet the silver haired mans gaze.

Kakashi sighed deeply feeling despair curl in his stomach. Just what did he have to do to prove to the younger man that he was sincere? He had heard the entire one sided conversation, his anger, worry and protective instinct increasing with every self-depreciating word that was spilt from Iruka's lips. The jounin truly hadn't believed that the man would step off the edge, thinking that even though he spoke the words Iruka's heart could not truly feel that way. Kakashi had been sorely mistaken and it was with a jolt of fear, adrenaline and something he couldn't quite put a name to that he had dove after the teacher determined to stop him. Even now as he held the man tightly the strange emotions that had plagued him as he watched Iruka step forward refused to die down. He wanted to hold the brunette tight to his chest and never let go.

"Why must you always think so little of yourself? What can I possibly say to make you believe me?"

"There isn't anything you can say to make me believe you. I know this is just some twisted form of compassion." Iruka mumbled eyes shining in the light of the morning sun.

"Iruka..." Kakashi said softly, leaning in.

Their lips were almost touching when Iruka abruptly pushed the other man away.

"Please don't do this Hatake-san... it... it isn't fair."

The silver haired man just looked Iruka straight in the eye his gaze never wavering a look of absolute seriousness and sincerity etched on what could be seen of his face.

"I'm sorry Iruka but not for what I almost did. I'm sorry for not noticing you sooner, I'm sorry for not seeing the pain you were going through. I'm sorry for not understanding and appreciating just what you do for the people around you, I'm sorry I let people like Tsunade-sama treat you like shit not once but twice for just showing that you cared for someone and I'm so, fucking, sorry that people would take your feelings for granted because they considered them different."

Brown eyes widened at the beautiful words spilling from the copy-nins mouth the teacher felt the numbness inside him begin to crack and dissipate. He could detect no lie in the Jounin's voice and something inside Iruka finally snapped and he slumped to his knees tearless sobs wracking his body. Kakashi was at his side in an instant an arm wrapped around the brunette's shoulders in a comforting gesture.

"How... I don't understand, how did you know all that... Tsunade-sama she told you didn't she."

Iruka still refused to look the silver haired man in the eye, but Kakashi could sense the anger starting to unfurl in the teacher. It appeared that the sensei was none too happy about the Hokage supposedly having exposed the details of their encounters to the last person Iruka wanted to know. The jounin was still a little edgy about letting the man know just how he obtained his new found knowledge because he quite rightly suspected that Iruka would not be impressed knowing that he had been spied on. This was a tricky situation that was going to take some tact careful planning and most importantly keeping Iruka away from the Hokage. However that plan was blown out the water when two ANBU leapt down from the trees behind them landing gracefully on the stony ground

"Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Lady Hokage requires your presence immediately."

There was almost a hint of sympathy in the monotone voice behind the ferret mask but Kakashi knew it was probably just his imagination. Cursing his bad luck he rose to his feet and nodded, Iruka followed suit the unstable air around him intensifying.

This was not going to be pretty.

Shit.

~End chapter nine~

A/N: Ta-dah! I finished the chapter so finally the boys have met up and at least started their little talk ^_^. I'm sorry I just had to drag it out, I still have a few more idea's running around my head and I want to tie up all the loose ends.

I know I'm not normally a promoter of people (Other than myself LOL) but I feel that these two authors deserve some recognition for being awesome. They are Unjaundiced and TsunadeJr71. I would like to also point out that they have not asked me to do this I have done it off my own back because I think they are far superior to me in terms of authoring skill.

So give them a look and tell them Smaell sent ya!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I am so sorry this is so late. A mixture of work, illness (Both myself and my boyfriend), family troubles and writers block have caused havoc with my writing. Hopefully at least some of those issues have been resolved and therefore means I'm back in the driving... Er.. writing seat.

Anywho... Thank you so much to EVERYONE! I finally hit 100 reviews, I can hardly believe it. *Dies from the sheer awesomeness* You guys are all amazing.

Special love goes to Karasu Kagami, whose evil computer wouldn't let her review so she PM'd me it. You rock sweetie.

So without further ado I present the next chapter. ^_^

Chapter Ten:

The ANBU looked back at the two men following them and simultaneously sighed. Had they known that this particular errand was going to be so troublesome they would have told Tsunade to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Admittedly that was the epitome of a pretty stupid idea but quite frankly being laid out flat by the Hokage was currently a much more preferable situation. The killing intent being thrown off by the two nin following them would be enough to make even the stone faced Ibiki weep. The ferret faced ANBU turned to his partner in the rooster mask and although he couldn't see his face he knew the other man was nervous, his body language screamed it in fact.

"So what does Tsunade-sama want with us?" The copy-nin's voice was cold and steely.

"I am... Not sure Hatake-san." Ferret replied, trying hard to not give away his unease.

Kakashi frowned at this and turned to Iruka, the brunette was looking ahead with an intensity that made the silver haired man shudder. The chunnin was in full on mission mode, all business, with an emotional blankness that was worrying the jounin greatly. Kakashi knew the man running beside him was a time-bomb just waiting to go off, he had seen the signs many times before. It was just a case of when and what would be the trigger.

"So why are there two of you, surely one ANBU would be more than enough to escort us."

Rooster coughed, in an obvious gesture of guilt. "We were sent out separately Hatake-san, it was just coincidence that we converged at the same time."

Coincidence my ass Kakashi thought bitterly. He should have known Tsunade wouldn't leave well enough alone, should have known that she'd have ANBU tailing him to make sure he didn't talk to Iruka. What was she so afraid of? Maybe he should have just told the blond that he'd seen everything that had happened over the last few weeks, it probably would have saved him a lot of trouble. But with the way gossip spread through the village it would have just landed him in more trouble, especially if it came to the attention of the terror and interrogations unit. If the TI personnel found out about his little 'adventure' he'd be hauled in for a 'briefing' faster than he could blink.

Kakashi repressed a shudder at the thought, no one willingly wanted to become a guest of the TI department. Especially if they thought you were hiding something and weren't willing to share and the jounin was convinced that they'd want him to share what he'd learned over the two weeks of wandering. Because 'who knew what important top secret information he'd been privy too? What secrets and truths and half truths he'd managed to observe whilst he'd been separated from his body and most importantly of all: was he was about to run off and sell it to the highest bidder, betray Konoha and her people?

Oh yes, they certainly want _that_ particular piece of information.

And if they weren't happy with the information that he did give them, and his explanation then one of two things would happen. One: If they still believed him to be disloyal to Konoha they would have him executed. Admittedly not an appealing option but Kakashi was not afraid of death, he had walked side by side with it for far too long for it for it to hold any sway over him.

The second option however did bring a chill to his heart.

If they were not satisfied that he was being truthful his memories from the two weeks he had been unconscious would be erased. The idea of losing everything from those two weeks, everything he had learned about Iruka brought a physical ache that started in his chest and expanded outwards.

No, it certainly was a wise idea to keep his little adventure to himself and gradually use the knowledge to help the emotionally damaged sensei.

That was of course if Iruka didn't balls up that plan in the mean time.

At the moment anything was possible.

The ANBU guides remained silent for the rest of the journey only the slightest hint of body language giving anything away about their state of mind. Iruka frowned as his thoughts began to eat away at him, the last half an hour had been a complete head screw to say the least. The dark thoughts that had been consuming his consciousness had, for the time being been repressed, and it it's wake left only confusion and anger. But the brunette did not know who was to blame or who to aim his anger at.

Tsunade was a good place to start, Hokage or not the blond seemed intent on making Iruka's life as miserable as possible all because of a few misspoken words. Iruka couldn't say he was completely faultless he had let his emotions, in particular his temper, once again run away with him. But it still did not warrant the loathing the woman had bestowed upon him, even if she had suspected him of attempting to hurt Kakashi. And the fact that she had told the Jounin, _told him_ what had happened over the last few weeks...

Well, it was a bitter pill to swallow.

That thought brought the brunette to the other potential candidate to aim his anger at.

Kakashi.

How dare the silver haired man try and manipulate him in the manner he did. Iruka knew he wasn't exactly in the most healthy frame of mind, he had after all just tried to throw himself off the Hokage monument. But he was aware enough to know when he was being toyed with and it hurt god damn it. He didn't deserve this kind of treatment, to have his heart and hopes so cruelly messed with. Hadn't he already gone through enough torture a few nights before? And now for the man to get his hopes up...

It was just sick.

Now that he had had time to reflect on previous events the sensei knew that was all Kakashi's kind words and false hope to be, a means to stop him from falling and from attempting it again. That thought hurt more than Iruka cared to admit and the brunette mentally sighed his anger waning as the thin tendrils of depression once again snaking through his psyche.

There were too many 'What if's?' and 'If only?' in this equation.

It would be better if he didn't think about them at least for the time being and stuck with the anger, anger was...so much more productive.

After what seemed like a small eternity they arrived at the Hokage's tower and Kakashi could have sworn he heard the rooster ANBU sigh with relief. Never before had this building looked so foreboding and ominous to the silver haired man, the aura of doom surrounding it almost physical in its intensity. Beside him Kakashi could feel Iruka's chakra whipping through the air in his anger and the jounin felt himself inwardly recoil. The last time he had felt chakra this disturbed, intense and angry had been when team seven had confronted Sasuke and the outcome of that encounter still haunted his nightmares.

In front of them the ANBU parted allowing them access to the tower, their body language saying more than their words could. _'She is expecting you'_ it said _'Good luck.'_. Iruka strode forward completely un-intimidated by the ANBU's warning and pushed his way through the double doors with a bang. Kakashi jumped the noise breaking through his darkened thoughts, his gaze followed the brunette and he sighed knowing that a whole world of trouble was about to unfold. Shaking his head and muttering about 'impulsive idiots' the Jounin followed, in a vain hope of catching the other man before too much damage was caused.

When they arrived at the Hokage's office the double doors were closed and from inside the office a lot of loud voices could be heard. Kakashi grimaced and looked at the other man who was fairly bouncing with coiled rage and then to Tsunade's secretary who was frowning at the doors. Great, the blond was already pissed before seeing them, just peachy. The Jounin's grimace darkened as the secretary moved her gaze from the doors to the two men stood waiting.

"Tsunade-sama is busy." The words were blunt.

Beside him Iruka let out a frustrated sigh a snarl gracing his usually calm features.

"I can see that."

The reply was clipped and laced with a dark sarcasm that made everyone around the brunette recoil slightly. Kakashi sighed and placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder knowing that he had to at least attempt to calm the other man before seeing the Hokage.

"Iruka..."

Apparently this was the wrong move, blazing brown eyes rounded on the silver haired man and narrowed until only the dark pupil was visible under the lids.

"Take your hand _off me_ Hatake-san or _I_ will take it off."

Kakashi contemplated his options and then withdrew his hand, even without the blatant threat he would have done so. Iruka's whole posture and demeanour screamed 'Don't fuck with me' and the look in his eyes showed he was serious enough to back it up. The Jounin lowered his gaze to the floor under the intense stare of the teachers eyes, feeling that if he looked up he'd burst into flames instantly. Silently Kakashi cursed this turn of events and his luck in general, knowing that hell and all its fury was about to be unleashed with him stuck in the epicentre.

From inside the office the shouting appeared to stop for all of a second before Tsunade's voice yelled out.

"Get out! I don't wish to hear anymore of your biased nonsense you bunch of narrow minded fools!"

The doors to the office opened and a rather abashed looking group of Hyuga's marched out, Hiashi at the lead. His pale eyes were narrowed and his face was twisted in a dark scowl upon seeing who was waiting next to see the Hokage the scowl turned into a sneer.

"Causing trouble again are you Hatake?"

Kakashi matched his sneer with equal venom "No more so than you Hyuga. Just what were you complaining about this time? Another one of your elders got their panties in a twist over something."

Hiashi deigned not to reply and began walking off, it was then he spotted the Jounin's companion.

"Ah, so you're here with the _teacher_. "

The disdain and contempt stressed in that single word was like a physical blow to Kakashi and he felt his lips twitch upwards baring his teeth in a very dog like manner. It was probably a good thing his face was covered, Kakashi was quite sure that his current expression would have landed him in a world of trouble and right now he had bigger fish than Hyuga Hiashi to fry. He was about to retort but was stopped as said teacher stepped in front of him, eyes still narrowed and hard as diamond.

"Do you have a problem with me Hyuga-san?" Iruka's voice was flinty and as cool as ice.

Hiashi looked slightly taken a back that the man had even dared speak to him and returned the hard gaze being thrown at him by the brunette.

"Besides your obvious lack of shinobi skill..."

The insult made Kakashi's blood boil and he went to move forward to punch the smug bastards lights out but a hand on his wrist stopped him dead, it's message clear.

_Stay out of this._

The jounin frowned looking at the tanned fingers clasped around his wrist, it wasn't just Iruka's fight. Why did the sensei insist on doing everything on his own, never looking or asking for help? It was that attitude that had landed the brunette in this situation to begin with and had almost resulted in his death. It frustrated Kakashi so much. Hiashi noticed the exchange and the sneer twisted into something that could only be described as evil.

"I thought someone of your _calibre _Hatake would avoid being seen with someone as undesirable and unnatural as _him._"

Kakashi felt the grip around his wrist tighten exponentially and even though Iruka didn't display any behaviour to the contrary the silver haired man knew that the remark had hit it's mark. The brunette's chakra fluctuated and Kakashi could see the man's other hand reaching for kunai pouch, but luckily (or unluckily Kakashi wasn't really sure) the doors of Tsunade's office flew open once more instantly halting Iruka's rather suicidal move.

"I thought I told you to get out of my tower." The Hokage's voice was stiff.

Hiashi's sneer fell away "We were just leaving _Hokage-sama_, Hatake-san and myself were just catching up."

Tsunade didn't appear to believe the excuse for a second after all she knew about the long standing feud between the two men, it had come up more than once in council meetings. She raised a tawny brow and made a shooing motion.

"If you're finished then I have need of these two."

Hiashi bowed politely before walking off down the hallway followed by his entourage. The blond waited until they were out of sight before she turned to the two remaining men amber eyes glinting with barely suppressed anger.

"Get in here now you two." Although her voice was quiet, the ripples of power lying underneath it were hard to ignore.

Both men entered the office at their own pace, Iruka walked in back straight and arms ram-rod straight at his side in controlled fury and stood right in front of Tsunade's desk. Kakashi ambled in with his usual indifferent demeanour and slouched against the wall carefully observing his surroundings. Although he couldn't see them the copy-nin could sense the two ANBU that had escorted them. Tsunade sat down at her desk and steeped her fingers together, she opened her mouth to speak and...

"HOW DARE YOU!"

Instantly closed it again as she watched the brunette stood in front of her explode.

"How dare you tell him what went on while he was unconscious! He had no right to know and you had no right to tell him!"

"Umino..."

"I thought you were a professional, respecting privacy!"

"Umino..."

"But you deem it okay to tell others about personal grievances that have nothing to do with them!"

"Umino Iruka will you shut up for three seconds!" Tsunade bellowed, instantly causing the enraged man to quiet but not calm. He still fidgeted as he waited for his Hokage to speak eyes dancing with anger.

"Right... Umino what the hell are you talking about?"

In that split second it looked as if all the breath had been stolen from Iruka's lungs but the man recovered quickly.

"Don't lie Tsunade-sama it must have been you who told him. Hatake-san has had no contact with anyone other than you who knows about what happened between us."

"I did no such thing. The only thing I said to the brat about you was to stay away from you as much as he pays attention." Here she shot Kakashi a glare "You were acting erratically and I couldn't ascertain whether you were going to cause him harm." Tsunade's voice was cold and challenging.

Iruka frowned biting down on his lip to contain his anger "We've already been through this I wasn't trying to hurt Hatake-san."

"Then what were you doing, your behaviour suggests otherwise. You disobeyed my orders in order to gain access to his room, if that doesn't suggest assassination I don't know what does."

Iruka grit his teeth and ground out the next words "I _wasn't _trying to hurt him."

"Then why were you there? You are not helping your defence Umino by withholding information."

The last tether of restraint seemed to slip from the brunette's grasp and the truth came pouring out.

"Withholding information? Do you think I actually care right now! Fine if you want to know so badly why I was there here you go, although if you'd actually used the supposed brain of yours and looked at all the pieces you would have been able to figure it out for yourself. I love him!"

"What..."

"I LOVE HIM! I FUCKING LOVE HIM AND WAS TERRIFIED OF LOSING HIM, HAPPY NOW! HAPPY THAT YOU'VE BARED A MANS SOUL TO THE WORLD BECAUSE I'M NOT!"

It seemed at that precise moment with the admission out in the open and in front of those whom it would matter the most too Iruka seemed to regain his awareness. Realising what he had just blurted out and in front of whom the fight left him and he crumbled. Tsunade gawked in sheer disbelief but before she could say anything to the man stood before her Iruka wove his fingers through the signs for a short range teleportation jutsu and vanished from the office. The Hokage looked to the rooms other occupant eyes wide. Kakashi remained unmoved against the wall and fixed his leader with a harsh stare. The jounin moved from his spot and toward the door and was stopped only when a slightly shaking voice called out to him.

"Where do you think you are going brat?"

Kakashi didn't turn around "I'm going after him."

"I don't think so, not until you and me have a little chat."

"We can chat later." His voice held no room for argument.

"No, I don't think so. We're going to have a chat now and don't bother trying to teleport I've reactivated the wards.

The silver haired man resisted the urge to scream in frustration "But Hokage-sama... You don't understand."

"I think I understand plenty. Now sit your skinny ass down before I make you, we have a few things to discuss including what the hell was going on while you were unconscious?"

Knowing he was beat Kakashi turned around and walked back toward the desk rapidly coming up with stories to explain his knowledge and knowing they would have to be good otherwise catching up with Iruka before something happened would be the last thing on his mind.

~End Chapter Ten~

A/N: YAY! No more writers block! Well sort of... I apologise once again for lateness. I've just had a hell of a few months! Reviewers are eternally awesome and shall be praised and showered with Home baked shortbread cookies (My current specialty LOL!)


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: YAY! I have time to write... I'm currently sitting up in work watching random late night television, ah bliss. It times like this I'm truly at peace with the world at large. ^_^ So yeah I'm kind of chilled at the moment hopefully it will help the creative process. As usual thanks to everyone who has reviewed/fav'd/alerted it truly means a lot. On the point of reviews I didn't realise that I had anon reviews switched off, oops. I've now changed that around ^_^. *Hint hint lol*

Anywho on with chapter.

Chapter Eleven.

Iruka poofed back into existence in an alley just outside the Hokage's office and slumped against the wall. He slid down the bricks and pressed his palms into his stinging eyes as hot tears slid down his cheeks. What on earth was wrong with him? Why couldn't he seem to control himself? It just seemed as if he was trying to get someone to put him out of his misery, he had after all just pissed off not only the Hokage but the Hyuga clan head as well. Why oh why couldn't he keep his _mouth shut?_ It would certainly improve his life expectancy and cause him a lot less trouble. Maybe instead of killing him he could persuade Tsunade to just cut out his tongue. The brunette almost chuckled at the masochistic thought, he would only be so lucky. After all after that little explosion in the office both Tsunade and Kakashi now knew for certain about his _unnaturalness._

Iruka briefly wondered how long it would take the copy-nin to catch up with him and exact his own brand of _rebuttal_. The dark thoughts that had previously been repressed were quickly re-emerging circling his wounded psyche like vultures. The teacher was under no delusions that now whatever Kakashi had heard had been confirmed and the Jounin was going to _dispose_ of him in order to protect his reputation. After all the silver haired man was one of the elite and if he was made to look bad, it made Konoha look bad. Iruka knew deep in his heart he was living on borrowed time, he just hoped his demise was swift and honourable. It was all he could ask for as a shinobi.

Drawing a shuddering breath the brunette hauled himself to his feet and winced as the bright morning sunlight stung his weary eyes. Raising a hand to shield them from the glare he moved out into the village without looking back. First thing on the agenda was a trip to his apartment, he badly needed a shower and his outfit had certainly seen and smelt better days. At least then he would start to feel physically human again even if he didn't feel it mentally. Then it would be some sort of sustenance, he generally wasn't much of an eater but the stress of the last few days had began to take its toll and Iruka was _starving._

The village was now wide awake and in full swing but even as he passed through the familiar streets Iruka could not feel comfortable. He could sense the people looking at him, judging him, condemning him. He even heard a few of the underhanded and downright nasty comments as he passed and the brunette was fairly convinced that he had been meant to hear the barbs even though they were uttered in hushed tones. The once welcoming village had shunned him completely, it was a fate almost worse than death. A bitter laugh escaped his lips as Iruka began to understand what those who went rogue probably felt like before betraying their village, he had to admit the idea of leaving and never coming back was certainly starting to sound appealing.

After all he didn't know how much time he had left or how much more strain he could take before he broke completely.

Running away was certainly starting to sound appealing.

The brunette shook himself, what was he thinking? The very notion of him fleeing was so completely selfish it made his heart ache. He couldn't just burden others with his self centred whims and besides he still had duties to perform even if they were self imposed ones. Iruka knew that no one would care for the orphans in his stead and the thought of failing them hurt even more than the complete social isolation the village was imposing on him.

No, he would stay for the moment. At least until he found someone else to care for the mites.

In his detached state the sensei hadn't even noticed where his traitorous feet had been carrying him. Instead of taking him to his apartment like he planned, he had ended up at the academy stood in front of the swing set he had seen a desperately lonely Naruto sit upon many a time before he had reached out to the boy. It seemed a rather appropriate place to wallow in ones despair and the irony of reminiscing his failings at the location of his greatest triumphs was not lost on him. Sighing deeply Iruka sat on the swing and watched the classes through the windows, swaying to and fro with the breeze. The shower for the time being could wait.

The brunette wasn't quite sure how long he sat there just wistfully gazing out at nothingness but the next thing he knew a warm pair of hands were clamping down on his shoulders and a loud, shaking and relieved sounding voice was bellowing in his ear.

"Iruka-sensei!"

It took all of Iruka's shinobi training to not jump out of his skin and he slowly craned his head round to confront his assaulter, although he already knew who it was. He would know the blond jinchuuriki's voice anywhere. Wearied brown eyes met wearied blue and Iruka forced a smile onto his face.

"Hello Naruto."

Naruto's brows were knitted together in a frown as he stared down his former sensei and Iruka noted the blond looked completely exhausted.

"You look like shit Iruka-sensei."

The brunette barked a laugh and dropped his gaze, he could always rely on Naruto to be blunt. It was one of the young man's most endearing and most frustrating traits.

"You're one to talk Naruto. You look as if you haven't slept in days."

The blond didn't reply straight away and Iruka felt unease curl around his heart, his former pupil was never this subdued especially when he was concerned about something. The teacher was about to look up when he felt a pair of arms encircle his shoulders and pull him into a loose hug.

"You had me worried sensei, you just disappeared off the face of the planet. I looked everywhere for you." The blonds voice was sad, low and quiet in his ear.

The unease began to tighten his chest and Iruka felt his breathing hitch in sorrow. Once again he'd managed to burden someone he cared about with his stupidity.

"I'm sorry."

Behind him Naruto let out a noise that sounded halfway between a sigh and a snort.

"Don't be sorry Iruka-nii, just tell me what on earth is going on with you. We're all worried, me, Sakura, Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san, Kakashi-sensei..."

"Somehow I seriously doubt Kakashi-sensei is worried about me." Iruka's rebuked harshly.

The jinchuuriki paused and levelled the brunette with a piercing stare. "Is this to do with the rumours flying around?"

"I... No..."

Naruto's voice turned exasperated "God damn it Iruka stop lying to me! What the hell is wrong?"

The elder saw red "Whatever is wrong with me has nothing to do with you! You shouldn't be wasting your time worrying about an insignificant old man, there are more important things deserving of your attention."

Cerulean eyes widened in shock and the blond could control the anger in his voice,. "What the fuck are talking about!"

"I'm talking about you poking your nose it business that doesn't concern you!" Iruka growled back.

He knew deep in his heart that what he was doing was wrong, that pushing away the blond in such a manner could do irreparable damage to their relationship. But at that moment in time Iruka really didn't care and he levelled the younger man with cold eyes. He just wanted to be left alone. Naruto's shocked gaze narrowed and he frowned.

"But it does concern me and you promised to stop doing this..."

"Forget what I promised. I lied..."

"I don't believe that for a second..."

"_Believe it_.." The familiar words were twisted with venom "I am shinobi, I lie, it's part of the job description."

The young man just gaped before turning his back on the brunette, hurt radiating off him.

"If that's the way you want it Iruka..."

Naruto's voice was lost on the wind and with a slight displacement of air he was gone. Iruka felt his heart plummet through his chest and he clung to the ropes attaching the swing to the tree. He had been expecting the pain but the look of utter desolation on Naruto's face had almost destroyed him. But he knew that it was best that the blond go through the pain now and get over him before he damaged the blond too much. Naruto deserved better than having him corrupt him.

The thought didn't make the pain in his chest hurt any less.

Feeling numb Iruka reverted back to his original plan and headed toward his apartment. Once there he quickly made his way to the bathroom and stripped off, tossing the dirty clothes in the corner to be dealt with at a later date. The brunette turned the shower on full blast and set it as hot as he could humanly stand before stepping under the spray. He winced as the scalding water hit his skin making it flush instantly but he ignored the discomfort as he began to scrub viciously with a brush. Iruka continued to ignore his stinging skin as he scrubbed himself raw, continued to ignore the stinging in his eyes and the shakes that were wracking his body until his legs finally gave out and he sank to the floor.

Sobs consumed his weakened frame and Iruka huddled himself in the corner of the shower, completely bone weary and mentally exhausted. He sat there as the water turned freezing and goose pimples pricked his skin either unable or unwilling to move. The brunette just sat there consumed by his grief and screamed the unfairness of life to the cold walls of his bathroom, releasing all the pent up anguish in one massive blow out. Completely drained brown eyes slid shut and he submitted to his exhaustion.

Kakashi looked back at the door and grimaced as he saw the two ANBU block the rooms only exit. Sighing he sat down in the pro-offered chair, folded his arms across his chest and glared at the Hokage. Tsunade appeared to have recovered from her shock and returned the glare. She stooped her fingers in front of her face, clearly unimpressed with the show of defiance.

"Drop the attitude brat."

The copy-nin shifted in his seat, he didn't have time for this interrogation. Every minute he wasted here was time wasted trying to help Iruka, he was still deeply worried about the other man. He knew from experience that such dark thoughts didn't just disappear and he was fairly convinced that Tsunade's forced confession hadn't helped matters. Kakashi knew he should tell Tsunade about the events prior to the meeting but he knew that the sensei wouldn't appreciate his meddling, even more than that he was fairly certain Tsunade would have the brunette admitted to a secure unit. Pushing his thoughts aside Kakashi focused on the problem at hand, he couldn't help if he was incapacitated and if this meeting went badly then that is exactly what could happen. The Jounin relaxed his posture and slumped back into the chair, a clear sign of submission.

"Report."

Tsunade had dropped her fingers and was now looking at him with a curious glint in her amber eyes. The silver haired man smirked under his mask, running a hand through his messy hair. Time for his infamous 'evasion-no-jutsu'.

"Maa on what exactly Tsunade-sama? On what I had for breakfast, maybe some Icha Icha?"

The Hokage's lips pulled downwards, frown lines marring the otherwise youthful complexion as her eyes hardened.

"Don't play games with me Hatake I haven't the time nor the patience for them. I want to know what happened while you were unconscious and what is going on between you and Umino."

Kakashi just shrugged "Nothing happened while I was unconscious, I was _unconscious_, it's pretty self explanatory."

"Why do I find that hard to believe? We are after all talking about you Hatake, you seem to be a magnet for the strange and bizarre."

"I can assure you Tsunade-sama that nothing happened whilst I was under, why would I lie?"

Tsunade shot him a feral smile "Oh I can think of a number of reasons as to the 'why' Hatake, I just don't understand the motivation. You don't normally act this guarded when it is you own well-being on the line but I'm having difficulty trying to figure out who you might be protecting."

_Damn._

Kakashi remained impassive on the surface but inside he was mentally cursing Tsunade's perceptive nature and his own unique character traits. Was it really that obvious he was protecting someone? Maybe he should take a few extra lessons in concealment if this was going to be the result. Face still neutral he replied to the comment.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Tsunade-sama, I was unconscious that's all there is to it."

That was his story and he was sticking to it. Admittedly not a work of literary perfection unlike some of his excuses (He was still rather fond of getting lost on the road of life), it was simple and hard to prove or disprove as the case may be. The blond didn't look at all convinced and she pretty much told him so with the arc of a tawny brow.

"Hatake I'm not going to ask again. I respect you enough to not order you to answer me but there is an easy way to do this and a hard way to do this."

"Tsunade-sama how many times do I have to repeat myself nothing happened and even if I _were_ protecting someone _which I am not_ do you honestly think I would put an individual's safety above the safety of Konoha?"

The Hokage seemed a little taken aback by the reply. "Fine have your secret, but we have nowhere near finished discussing this topic. So what is going on between you and Umino?"

Kakashi ground his teeth under his mask, the infernal woman was really starting to get on his nerves. Couldn't she just accept that there was nothing sinister going on? The Jounin chuckled at the thought, of course she couldn't.

She was a _kage_.

It was part of the job description to be wildly suspicious and nosy.

It still did not stop the silver haired man feeling frustrated at her incessant pestering however. Kakashi forced his body to be painfully neutral as he lied, he knew the Hokage would pick up on the slightest fluctuation and he couldn't afford to be delayed any further.

"There is nothing going on that I am aware of Tsunade-sama. I have to admit I was a little shocked at his outburst."

"You mean to tell me you knew nothing about any of that?"

"No Tsunade-sama."

"So what was he going on about? And why on earth were you on top of the Hokage monument?"

The Jounin took a deep breath "Naruto asked me to look for him, he was worried. I used Pakkun and that was where I found him."

Tsunade raised her brow again "And that's all?"

"That's all Tsunade-sama. It was just _coincidence_ that we were found together."

Behind him Kakashi felt the two ANBU shudder at the stressed word and he just about resisted the urge to gloat. It was nice to know the reputation he had painstakingly cultivated during his stint in the black ops hadn't diminished with the passage of time, that even now as a regular Jounin he was still considered someone who you _did not piss off_. The Hokage noticed the exchange with an exasperated sigh and waved her hand urging the man to continue.

"As to what he was talking about, I overheard one of the nurses gossiping about a _disagreement_ between you and Umino-san. I may have mentioned in passing what I knew and well as you saw, he wasn't very impressed."

Tsunade visibly blanched at the comment and this time Kakashi couldn't resist the urge to smile victoriously. It served the old bag right. His victory was short lived as the blond bounced back quickly and if one hadn't been present they wouldn't have known about the woman's brief show of weakness.

"Okay that's enough Hatake."

The Jounin did a mental happy dance at those words, those words meant he would soon be free. He rose to leave.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Kakashi's heart fell through his chest.

"Tsunade-sama?"

The Hokage's feral smile was back and the silver haired man could feel the power, annoyance and vindictiveness pouring off of the blond.

"Stand by to receive orders."

Reluctantly Kakashi stood to attention, his single visible eye narrowing in discontent.

"Hatake you are to be escorted to your residence, where you will remain until further notice."

The silver haired man visibly shook in anger "What? Why? I am fine!"

Tsunade rose a tawny brow "Where you are physically able, I have yet to ascertain your mental state. There may be unforeseen mental trauma."

"I am fine Tsunade-sama."

" I beg to differ, your behaviour has been somewhat erratic brat. I want you to stay where I can see you until I can arrange a psychological analysis."

"But..."

"There is no discussion about the matter." The blonds voice was curt.

Kakashi glared at his leader but nodded in head in resigned acceptance, he knew there was no arguing with the blond and was pretty sure if he tried he'd end up in a white room with a nice white jacket on. Turning stiffly the Jounin walked toward the door, blatantly ignoring the two ANBU members dropping down behind him as he strode out of the tower. He quickly made his way back to his apartment through the back roads and alleys of the village. At the current moment Kakashi truly didn't want to run into anyone, he could still sense the ANBU tailing him and knew that anyone who would actually stop to talk to him would also be able to.

As he opened the door to the tiny apartment the smell of dust and disuse immediately hit his senses causing him to cough. Shaking his head Kakashi kicked off his shoes and made his way through to the kitchen hoping that something remotely edible was still residing there. After raiding the cupboards the only edible food available to him was simple white rice, shrugging he switched on the rice boiler and set to it.

Ten minutes later he had a bowl of rice and had folded himself onto his spartan couch. A suddenly feeling of loneliness hit him square in the chest, Kakashi hadn't realised how much he had relished the impromptu companionship Iruka had provided. The thought of the brunette made the Jounin sigh in despair, he was supposed to be helping and all he was doing at the moment was making things worse. It made him want to find a very sturdy wall and repeatedly bang his head against it. The silver haired man quickly wolfed down his small meal knowing he would need his strength for what he was about to do. His chakra control was still a little out of whack.

Kakashi quickly bit his thumb and once again summoned Pakkun, the tug on his chakra once again making him feel dizzy. The small brown dog looked up with baleful eyes.

"What's up now boss?"

"I need to ask a favour."

The pug raised what one would assume was a doggy eyebrow in surprise. "A favour? Since when do you ask for favours?"

The copy-nin tried to not sound irritated "Since now okay."

"Okay, okay whatever. What do you want me to do?"

"I need you to go to Iruka-sensei's house and keep an eye on him."

Small brown eyes widened "What? Why?"

"Because I need you too."

"Is this to do with this morning?"

"..."

"Why can't you go?"

"... I... Can't..."

Pakkun watched his master with concern and slight confusion. However when he sniffed the air he quickly realised why his master was unable to go anywhere, why were ANBU watching Kakashi? The small animal frowned as he levelled his master with a piercing stare.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing. Tsunade is still concerned about me and wants me to stay 'where she can see me' until I have a full evaluation."

The pug groaned "Why is nothing ever simple with you?"

Kakashi merely shrugged "So will you go?"

"Yes. What do you want me to look out for."

"Just anything wrong, out of the ordinary."

"He's a teacher how out the ordinary can he be?"

"Pakkun..." Kakashi growled.

"Fine, I'm going. I'll report back if anything 'out of the ordinary' happens." The pug got to his feet and padded toward the door.

"Thank you."

Pakkun yipped a small laugh "Thank me with steak."

The silver haired man nodded as the dog left the apartment and slumped back down on the couch. He grabbed the book he had been reading before he left off the coffee table and thumbed through to the page he was last at. Kakashi jolted at the knock the door, the book he had been reading lay open on his lap.

' _I must have fallen asleep'_

The knock at the door came again, sighing in resignation the Jounin rose to his feet and walked to the entryway. He took a deep breath before pulling open the door.

"Hello Hatake-san."

Kakashi froze.

~End Chapter Eleven~

A/N: *Dodges various objects being thrown at her* Sorry I couldn't resist leaving it on a cliff-hanger.

And no your eyes do not deceive you this is an update in a timely fashion ^_^. I am currently ill again (YAY!) so have some free time to finish this up. Thanks once again to everyone you guys are all awesome, I am still amazed that every time I seem to open my e-mail I have a new person fav/ alert this.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: And so the angst-fest continues ^_^. I'm thankfully feeling a whole lot better now, still not 100% but much better than I was. I thank you reviewers for that, your comments made me smile and lifted my spirits. As usual thank you to everyone who has reviewed/fav'd/alerted, your support means so much.

Oh and shout out to my Anon Reviewers:

**Cat: ***Glomps*Thank you so much for the review sweetie! Here's your chapter ^_^.

**Annie:** *Glomps* Your review _seriously_ made my day ^_^ I can't believe I made you cry though. I'm not sure if I should be proud of that or not. Either way thank you so much. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

On the point of reviews... I appear to be very close to hitting the 150 reviews milestone *Gasps and dies* So cool! So yeah like with 'Human Nature' I am offering a one shot of their choice for my 150th reviewer. Yeah I'm an idiot for adding more to my work load but I'm very VERY grateful to all my reviewers and as an author it is my job to show a little love! If it's an Anon reviewer leave it in the review, otherwise I'll let you know when I reply ^_^.

Without further ado I present the next chapter in all its un-beta'd glory!

Chapter Twelve

Naruto Uzumaki was not exactly averse to being sneaky; it was more like he was allergic to it. He understood the need to be 'stealthy' and practised those skills often whilst on missions. But sneaky and stealthy were not the same thing. Sneaky implied something underhanded and fundamentally _wrong_ and it just didn't quite sit with his ninja way.

However there were times when it was a necessity and this was one of those times.

Iruka had been acting strangely, far too strangely. To be fair the brunette was a pretty strange guy full stop, his nature and profession seemingly at odds with one another. But somehow he made them work together and provided for those less fortunate than him, his compassion made him strong and drew those around him to him, whether the man liked it or wanted it. Masking his chakra Naruto snuck around the familiar apartment block with stealth Kakashi-sensei would have been proud of. The blond knew he couldn't afford to get caught; he couldn't risk setting off his mentors temper again if he wanted to get to the bottom of the man's problems. The sensei may try and hide them from the world at large, but Naruto knew they were there and that they were tearing the other man up inside.

And it hurt, it hurt him more than any physical blow ever had, to know that he was not trusted enough to be privy to them.

As he approached Iruka's door the blond felt the small tingle of chakra brush against him before the wards dropped. He had been keyed into the system a long time ago and Naruto had never been more grateful for that than at this very moment. Hesitantly he opened the door and stepped inside, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. The dull 'thunk' of wood knocking against wood echoed ominously through the silent apartment and the small blossom of worry bloomed in Naruto's chest.

"Naruto get your backside in here this second."

Okay maybe not so silent.

The blond frowned at voice, it was familiar but it certainly wasn't the voice he was expecting to hear. It took a few minutes but he finally managed to place the small rough voice and when he did his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Pakkun?"

"No, it's the Queen of Sheba... Of course it's me kiddo!" The gruff voice replied, clearly exasperated.

"What on earth are you doing here?"

"I'm doing a favour for the boss."

"Kakashi-sensei? What the hell is going on?"

"I'll explain what I know later but can you get in here and help me please."

Still looking somewhat confused as to the summons presence Naruto moved hesitantly toward the small voice and was shocked to find it coming from behind the closed bathroom door. He knocked tentatively on the wooden door, his stomach churning with unease and a small amount of fear.

"Naruto for Kami's sake stop stalling and get in here!" Pakkun sounded desperate.

Needing no further invitation the blond pushed open the door and walked into the bathroom, but nothing had prepared him for the sight he was met with. Naruto froze, his heart leaping into his throat and his stomach plummeting through the floor. On the floor of the cubicle lay Iruka unconscious and shivering under the still pounding spray of the shower, his normal tanned skin was pale and tinged with blue and the long chocolate coloured hair was mattered in clumps. Pakkun had afforded the man some modesty by pulling a large bath towel over his lap but did little to conceal anything other than the brunette's nudity. The blond gazed at his mentor with undisguised horror as the reality hit home and grief welled up in his chest.

"Kiddo! Quit gaping and give me a hand."

Naruto snapped back to reality and looked down at the little pug that was drenched from head to toe. In an instant he had the shower switched off and was at the older brunette's side. Pakkun watched worriedly as the blond gently stroked some of the damp, knotted hair out of the teachers face before lifting the man bridal style and carried him into the bedroom. The small pug shook himself and followed the two humans, his eyes not once leaving either of them. Once in the bedroom Naruto dried the elder man off the best he could, frowning as he took in the dilapidated state of the man's body and marks marring his arms, before placing him under the quilt of his spartan bed. With a sigh the blond dropped to the floor and leaned back against the wall, the summon padded up beside his masters pupil and lay his round face on the youngsters lap.

"How long was he there for?"

The voice was half broken, and the blond's eyes were shut tight as though trying to will away what he had just seen. The small dog felt a pang of something in his chest and gazed over at the man in the bed.

"I don't know I arrived about five minutes before you did. That was how I found him."

"What's going on Pakkun? All I keep getting is bits and pieces and lies. Why will no one give me a straight answer? "

"Wish I knew kiddo. It would make things easier wouldn't it?"

Naruto nodded and let out a deep sigh, he couldn't bring himself to look at the man lying unconscious no less than two feet away. He was so confused about the whole situation and the questions circled inside his mind like a whirlpool, making him unable to focus on anything else. He placed a hand on Pakkun's head and began to scratch the nin-ken behind the ears earning a satisfied growl from the dog.

"So why are you here Pakkun?"

The question was so innocent but the answer was not one the small animal could easily answer.

"Like I said the boss asked me to come." The pug let out a contented groan as the young man massaged a particularly sensitive spot.

"I don't understand... What interest has Kakashi-sensei got in Iruka-sensei?"

"Damned if I know kiddo, he's been acting strange, strange even for Kakashi. I think it might have something to do with this morning."

"This morning? You mean when I asked him to help me look for Iruka... What happened?"

The dog looked up from the blonds lap and if Naruto had to guess, the expression crossing the pugs face was one of discomfort. The nin-ken rose to his feet and began to pace the small gap between wall and bed trying to find the words.

"I don't know exactly what happened... It was all over before I arrived, Kakashi went ahead but I know what I smelt..."

The blond hung on the small animals every word. Under such intense scrutiny Pakkun felt his stomach turn, not knowing how Naruto was going to take his next words.

"Despair, anger darkness, lots of it and fear... But that was mostly from the boss. The whole place stunk of it."

"Fear? What does Kakashi-sensei have to be afraid of?"

"Like I said he's been acting strange..."

"It's been a strange few weeks." Naruto replied bluntly

"I gathered that much but the fear I smelt was odd... It wasn't personal fear; it was...fear for another."

Again the blond jinchuuriki's brows knitted together in thought, Pakkun truly hoped that Naruto didn't ask further about what happened on top of the Hokage monument. Although he hadn't been present the summon had a pretty good idea of what had occurred, especially if his masters reaction to the events was anything to go by. The pug mirrored Naruto's expression he hated when things didn't add up quite right, there was something missing from this whole scenario, a vital piece of information he was overlooking that explained Kakashi's continued interest. Unfortunately the nin-ken knew the only person other than the copy-nin who had; at least some of the answers was currently lying unconscious in front of them.

And he was probably just as unwilling to share as Kakashi.

Beside him Pakkun could feel Naruto's agitation, the younger blond fidgeting as he watched the unconscious brunette. He could feel the Kyubbi's chakra broiling beneath its containers skin, licking the air in possessive protectiveness. Naruto's head drooped slightly as exhaustion wracked the jinchuuriki's wearied frame, the stress of the past few days finally catching up to the young man. The blond may have boundless energy but even Naruto had his limits and Pakkun was surprised that he had lasted this long, most other people would have dropped a long time ago. The nin-ken nudged his head against Naruto's thigh gaining the young man's attention, glazed blue eyes stared down as the lids drooped, the pug sighed in exasperation. If it wasn't Kakashi pushing himself too far it was one of his brats.

"Sleep Naruto."

"But... Iruka-s-s-s-sensei." He stifled a yawn.

"Sleep Naruto. I'll watch both your backs." Pakkun's voice was hard and held no argument.

Naruto looked as if he was going to argue for a split second but then seemed to decide against it. The tired eyes slid shut and within a few minutes the blond was snoring lightly completely oblivious to the world. The pug shook his head and settled himself under the bed, suppressing his chakra as to be unnoticeable. He had a strange feeling that the sensei would not be pleased to see him in his home when he woke up.

Not at all.

_**Iruka...**_

_The brunette's head shot up, eyes wide awake and alert. It took him a minute to regain his bearings and was surprised to find himself sitting at his desk in the academy. Frowning in confusion he rose to his feet and made his way toward the door, he knew he shouldn't be here especially only clad in his pyjama bottoms. He slid open the door and stepped out into the corridor_

_**Iruka...**_

_Iruka froze at the singsong voice, it was painfully familiar although he couldn't quite place where from. It tugged at the back of his mind in an area of his psyche he had long ago buried. The voice called out again and Iruka turned his head to where the sound was emanating from, it was coming from deeper within the academy. Before he'd even realised what he was doing the sensei had begun to walk toward the source of the noise the brightly lit exit disappearing behind him._

_Iruka walked through the rapidly darkening and unfamiliar corridors. He knew that he couldn't possibly be inside the academy any more, the dank hallways suggested otherwise but he could not stop himself from moving forward. After what felt like an eternity a large, stained steel door materialised before him, the locks were rusted heavily and there was something akin to mildew growing on the joints and panels. The brunette recoiled slightly at the ghastly apparition; it was certainly not something he wished to touch. He hoped it was just his mind playing tricks on him when he saw the mildew __**move.**_

_**IIIrrruuuukkkkaaaaa...**_

_The voice called out again, seemingly more sinister and drawn out than before. It was coming from behind the rotted door and Iruka felt himself shudder as a malicious wind swept from beneath the door hitting his bare skin. Summoning his courage he grabbed at the warped handle and tried not to feel too revolted as the horrid green substance wrapped itself around his hand. With a hard tug he pulled the door open and promptly freed his hand before walking into the darkened room._

_Iruka stopped as the scenery once again became something familiar and he frowned as he recognised the academy's gymnasium, with a few subtle differences. Stood from his perch on the balcony the brunette could see the normally bright and cheery walls looking dark and grubby with the paint peeling. Iruka's eyes went round as he looked down at floor or what should have been the floor. In place of the hardwood training area there was a swirling vortex of blackness ensconced within the four walls of the gym; Iruka's mouth fell open in shock as he took in the strange scene. He was about to turn around and leave when a cold voice stopped him dead._

"_Hello Iruka. So __**nice**__ to see you again" The voice oozed sarcasm and ill intent._

_The brunette spun around at the voice, that hauntingly familiar, anger inducing voice. A snarl graced Iruka's lips as he laid eyes upon the owner of the loathed voice._

"_Mizuki."_

_The pale face lit up in a malicious smirk "The one and only."_

"_What are you doing here?" Iruka demanded._

_The man before him said nothing just simply continued to smirk in that unsettling way as he turned to watch the swirling vortex below. After a few minutes the brunette lost his temper and went to grab the other mans shoulder. Mizuki sensing the attack moved swiftly out of the way, grabbed hold of the arm and used it pin Iruka down against the balcony railing. Iruka shuddered as his bare chest came into contact with the cold metal._

"_Still as pathetic as ever I see." The silver haired man taunted._

_The brunette struggled against his captor but to no avail, the other man had his full weight splayed across his back effectively restricting all his movements._

"_It's beautiful isn't it?"_

_Iruka's eyebrow shot up and the other man laughed slightly._

"_The nothingness I mean it's actually quite beautiful. I remember when I used to see it in your eyes and it made me want to take you and break you more. But you always resisted, always. You never let me have you; you never let me break you completely. Stubborn fool. But now..."_

_The brunette shuddered as the words washed across his ears and he felt fear race through him._

"_Please don't." He choked out through a closed throat._

_Mizuki just continued to smile and muttered a few words under his breath. Immediately Iruka's world shifted and he found himself with his back to the balcony, still standing upright with his arms and legs spread and bound with some kind of energy. He struggled against the bonds but it was a fruitless battle, they had absolutely no give in them and it felt as though his limbs were going to pop out of their sockets. He suppressed a pained whimper and just glared at the man before him._

"_Let me go Mizuki!"_

"_Now Iruka why would I do that when I have much more interesting things in mind to... Delight you with?"_

_The image of Mizuki flickered and split in two, the second taking on the form of a very familiar blond, his blue eyes sparkling menace. The familiar foxy grin was spread across Naruto's face but in this place it looked twisted and sinister, Iruka felt himself shudder._

"_Much more interesting, wouldn't you say so Iruka-Nii?"_

_The blond doppelganger withdrew a kunai from his weapons pouch and moved toward him, the blade glinted in the dim light and Iruka watched as the fake Naruto cut into the scars in his arm forcing them to bleed once more._

"_You always were pathetic you know, we all thought so even back in the academy. We pitied you because it was so blatantly obvious that your students were the only thing you had." Another cut "And still you managed to constantly disappoint us by being so weak. So useless. So completely pointless."_

_The brunette tried to ignore the words but the lanced straight in his heart, the fears and insecurities he had being laid bare before him. He focused on the blood slowly dripping from his arms and tried to drown out the horrible, damaging words being spilt in that beloved voice. Beside him Mizuki grinned victoriously._

"_See Iruka it's not just me who thinks you are a worthless lump of flesh."_

_Iruka dropped his head and closed his eyes, focusing on the pain of the kunai slicing into his flesh and not on the two voices chattering around him. He tried to ignore the condescending __**'truthful' **__and harsh '__**justified' **__comments and he was doing rather well until another voice entered the fray. One that took him completely off guard and one he knew he could never ignore even if he tried._

_Kakashi._

_Iruka looked up and into the piercing storm and ruby coloured eyes and felt his heart simultaneously drop and implode in his chest. The jounin stood before him in his ANBU uniform, the white of his breast plate a beacon of light in the dark place. The brunette watched in horror as the other man stalked toward him and grabbed his chin with a clawed glove, the mismatched eyes radiating revulsion._

"_How could you possibly think I would want anything to do with __**this**__, let alone be attracted to __**it**__?"_

_Something inside Iruka broke at those words and he felt his body slump against his restraints. The clawed hand dug into his chin drawing blood and forced him to maintain eye contact with the copy-nin. He could feel his eyes tearing up but he refused to cry, he had known this was what the reaction would be and he would face it like a shinobi. Kakashi tilted his head in a mockingly appraising fashion._

"_You disgust me." _

_Behind Kakashi the other two men cheered his choice of words, agreeing with the sliver haired jounin._

"_**Useless Things**__ like you should be eradicated."_

_Iruka felt his blood freeze as the 'shing' of a sword being drawn echoed through the air. In Kakashi's hand was an ornate short sword glowing white with the man's chakra. If it weren't for the fact that it was about to be the weapon of his destruction Iruka would have found it quite beautiful, the way the chakra danced around the glyphs on the blade was mesmerising. _

"_**Die**__"_

_There was a displacement of air and a heavy thudding in his abdomen, Iruka looked down in shock and saw the hilt of the sword embedded in his stomach. He was surprised that he couldn't feel the pain but believed that it was because the sword had severed his nerve endings, he couldn't feel or move anything. Kakashi withdrew the glistening blade, spraying hot blood across Iruka's bare flesh and the Jounin's clothes. The bonds from around the brunette's limbs disappeared and he stood for a second before his body tumbled backwards off the balcony toward the nothingness. As he fell Iruka looked up at those who had meant everything to him at one time or another and he allowed the tears to fall. He closed his wearied eyes and was swallowed by the nothingness._

Chocolate coloured eyes flew open, pupils just pin pricks in the sea of brown. It was only years of shinobi training that had stopped Iruka from crying out as he woke and he took a steadying breath as his heart thudded in his chest. He blinked back the tears that had formed in his eyes and turned over and buried his head into his pillow...

Pillow?

When had he gotten into bed? The last thing he remembered was being in the shower and then... nothing. Frowning he turned back over and instantly found the answer to his questions sat on the floor snoring lightly. Iruka felt a lump well up in his throat as he gazed at his adoptive little brother sat in what had to be an uncomfortable position and his heart ached. Shifting himself into a sitting position Iruka rustled around in his bedside cabinet for a pair of pyjama bottom, he felt a flush of embarrassment at the thought of the state Naruto must have found him in. Pulling on the pyjama's the brunette clambered out of bed and knelt down beside Naruto, shaking the young man. The blond roused slowly, blinking the sleep from his bright eyes.

"'Ruka-Nii?" Naruto's voice was heavy with sleep.

Iruka merely nodded feeling his heart constrict in his chest at the nickname, the remnants of his nightmare still far too close to the surface. He ruffled the blond head affectionately pushing away the visions embedded in his psyche.

"Hey Naruto." He replied in a small voice, dropping his eyes to the floor.

The jinchuuriki seemed to rouse fully and the memories of the state he had found his mentor in rushed to the forefront of his mind. He frowned deeply and glared at the top of the teachers head, he was going to get to the bottom of this right now.

"Iruka... I... Why... What?" He couldn't find the words to ask the multitude of questions plaguing his mind.

Seeming to understand what the blond was trying to ask the brunette let out a deep sigh and moved himself from the floor onto his bed. He had come to a decision, it wasn't one he was proud of but he had to be honest with Naruto before he made his next move. Iruka owed the boy that much. He patted the space next to him motioning for Naruto to join him; the blond looked momentarily confused but the rose to his feet and joined the elder man on the bed. His blue eyes sparkled expectantly and it took all of the brunette's willpower to meet that questioning gaze.

"I'm so sorry Naruto; you shouldn't have had to see me like that."

Naruto remained silent and just nodded his head slowly, after a few tense moments he found the words he had been grasping at before and spoke his mind.

"I understand. But I want to know what is going on, I'm sick and tired of being shut out in the dark. I'm old enough to understand..."

"I know but it's... Hard to let myself be vulnerable, you of all people must understand that."

The blond nodded again mulling over the thoughts in his head; he found it difficult to see the man in front of him as vulnerable or weak. He truly was one of the strongest people he knew; Iruka took on so many burdens and shouldered them with a smile, keeping himself to himself and never asking for help or anything in return. That was why when he heard about the brunette's supposed outburst it had worried him and he had ran off in search of the man, it didn't sound like the collected albeit temperamental man he knew and loved dearly.

"You can trust me Iruka-Nii."

Iruka knew in his hear that the boy was telling the truth and he felt a small weight lift off his chest at the admission, but still the dark thoughts plagued the back of his mind, poison whispers sowing the seeds of doubt. He took a deep breath knowing his next sentence was one that could change the dynamic of their relationship forever.

"So what do you want to know?"

The jinchuuriki paused for a second "Are the rumours true?"

"You'll have to be a little more specific Naruto, Konoha is a gossip house."

Iruka ran a shaking hand through his hair, he knew the rumours the younger male was referring to of course but he wanted to know how much of that night had gotten out to public ears. Naruto furrowed his brow as he tried to find the words.

"The one about you going nuts on some Jounin because he was bad-mouthing Kakashi-sensei."

"Ah, that one."

The brunette began to feel his heart pump wildly in his chest and his palms begin to sweat.

"Yes Naruto it's true."

The blond gaped unabashedly at his former teacher, undisguised shock written clearly across his face. Iruka fought a hysterical chuckle; he had forgotten how childish the younger man could be sometimes.

"But you're normally so _controlled_ even when you got angry at us in the academy it was all totally controlled."

"I was drunk Naruto, alcohol makes you do and say some stupid things. It makes you lose control."

"Say... stupid things?"

The question was innocent but the teacher had known Naruto for far too long to not see the underlying knowledge behind wide blue eyes. So he had heard the full story, the thought cause Iruka to swallow thickly and avert his gaze. He couldn't bear to see the disgust and rejection on the younger adults face, he knew it would be the straw that finally broke him and drove him insane.

"Yes Naruto, say stupid things."

"Oh." The voice sounded shocked with a hint of annoyance, Iruka looked up eyebrow raised.

"Oh? That's it, oh?"

"Yes Iruka-Nii, Oh. I just didn't think you'd say something you didn't mean."

The words hit the brunette in the chest like a fist and he knew that the blond had laid him bare. He waited for the condescending words to come and finish the job he had started. After no such words were forth coming Iruka gazed into understanding sapphire coloured eyes, his own brown orbs asking questions that he couldn't quite voice. The elder's fingers twisted in his lap in a nervous gesture; finally after an eternity the blond spoke.

"Is this what caused you to do this?"

Naruto was pointedly looking at his exposed arms and Iruka felt himself flush with embarrassment and self resentment. How could he been so stupid as to let the younger male see his scars? Suddenly self-conscious the teacher drew his arms around him obscuring the marks. Naruto frowned at the gesture it giving him all the answers that he needed.

"No it isn't." Iruka said bluntly, without any emotion "These were... a moment of weakness."

The blonds frown deepened as he watched the skittish man before him fidget uncomfortably.

"Why did you do it?"

"You already know why."

Naruto nodded slowly as Iruka closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, this interrogation had gone far enough for his liking it was time to say goodbye. Slowly Iruka opened his eyes, jaw set with determination he turned to his former student, his little brother, his only real family and one of the people he was slowly destroying with his existence. The jinchuuriki noted the change in demeanour but it was already too late, two fingers poked a pressure point on the side of his neck and he felt himself slip into unconsciousness. The last thing he remembered was sorrowful brown eyes and a whispered

"_I'm sorry."_

Iruka watched as the youngster slumped to the bed his heart aching, he took a moment to ensure that the blond was settled in an comfortable position on his bed before quickly throwing on a simple white cotton shirt and a pair of worn uniform pants. Fully dressed he grabbed his travel bag and began to throw items into it, after a few minutes it was full and he was ready to leave. The brunette let out a world weary sigh; he just couldn't do this anymore. He couldn't stay in the village, it was suffocating him. At least this way he would possibly have a small measure of freedom before the Hunter-nins came to finish him off and he wouldn't even put up a fight. He gave Naruto one last look and ruffled the blond locks one last time before turning and leaving. At the bedroom door he paused momentarily to mutter to sleeping ears.

"Be safe Naruto."

And then he fled.

Under the bed Pakkun sat frozen for a second as the reality crashed home inside his canine brain, the next second he was running across Konoha as fast as he could toward Kakashi's apartment. The nin-ken wasn't entirely sure what his master could do in his current state but he knew that the Jounin would do everything within his power to stop the sensei from making a colossally idiotic mistake.

He just hoped that he wasn't already too late.

~End Chapter Twelve~

Ooops... Is that another cliff-hanger? Heh-heh.

Next Chapter: We actually find out who is at Kakashi's door and Pakkun has a lot of explaining to do.

A/N: So yeah I had an epic EPIC fail this morning. I picked up an extra shift for this morning because my manager had a training course. So I arrive at work at 8am, after four hours sleep and not five minutes later my manager shows up, apparently the training course got cancelled and they neglected to mention it to me, so I didn't need to be in work after all, which I suppose is a good thing as I got to finish this epically long (For me at least) chapter.

Moral of the story: ALWAYS CHECK YOUR ROTA!

So once again this is a little later than planned and it's all works fault and has nothing _nothing _to do with the fact that sonic 4 came out last week or that my boyfriend rediscovered his love for the Yu-gi-oh TCG and insists on kicking my ass at it every free moment we get. Nope it's _all_ works fault ^_-.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: And I'm back again YAY! Sorry this is later than promised, me and this chapter had a few minor... disagreements. Actually I had some real problems with this chapter including my netbook killing itself. Just my luck really, unlucky number thirteen indeed. But... I hit 150 reviews... Oh. My. God. *Glomps everyone* Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! You guys are all amazing and I feel so honoured and privileged to have your support ^_^.

To my anon reviewers:

Annie: Thank you for reviewing again sweetie! Yes he is being very difficult but people who have problems are often very stubborn. I speak from experience lol! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

A/N2: Just read the Naruto manga and have to say this. Kabuto is a complete BASTARD.

Chapter Thirteen.

"Hello Hatake-san."

Kakashi froze.

An amused chuckle came from the Jounin's open doorway, which the silver haired man was disinclined to reply to. Instead his eyes narrowed into a glare and he folded his arms stiffly across his chest.

"Morino-san." Kakashi's reply was curt.

Ibiki still appeared to be rather amused at the man's reaction even if it didn't show on his face. Kakashi had known the Torture and Interrogations chief interrogator for a long time and had become quite adept at reading the man's body language. And right now it screamed amusement with an underlying hint of worry.

"Isn't it polite to invite your guests in Hatake-san? It is rather miserable out here."

And that it was, sometime while Kakashi had been asleep the heavens had opened and a raging storm was whipping its way through Konoha.

"That's assuming that the homeowner sees the intruders as such." The Jounin replied icily, ignoring the mans soggy state.

The interrogators face dropped slightly and the ever present frown deepened. He was not surprised by the man's defensiveness, after all that had transpired over the last few weeks even Ibiki would have felt a little jumpy. It was never a good feeling being left out of the loop. That was why he strove to know everything he could, after all that insignificant piece of information could mean the difference between life and death.

That was part of the reason he was here though.

Tsunade seemed convinced that the copy-nin was holding out on her and had sent him it to work (as she had put it) some of his 'head screwing magic' on the other man. Ibiki knew that if Kakashi was indeed hiding something then he would certainly have his work cut out and then there was the other topic the Hokage had asked him to raise with the man.

The scarred man felt himself internally cringe, psychology he could do, emotions were something he had always struggled with.

Kakashi stood and watched Ibiki with undisguised anger, he knew it wasn't the interrogators fault but he still couldn't help but resent the fact that the man was here. Damn Tsunade and her meddling, she was causing nothing but trouble. At the very least Pakkun hadn't returned yet, that at least meant that Iruka was safe for the time being. It was one small worry off the Jounin's mind, now it was time to deal with the other. Ibiki still stood stoic in the doorway, unmoving and clearly resolved to complete his assignment. Mismatched eyes met coal black and Kakashi heaved a sigh moving from the doorway and back into his home. Ibiki, taking this as his cue followed the silver haired man in.

Kakashi sat himself back down on the couch and picked up his book, once again nonchalantly thumbing through the worn pages. The tokubetsu Jounin just stared and shook his head, taking residence in one of the rooms armchairs. A long and somewhat uncomfortable silence passed between the two men and the silver haired man had no intention of ending it, Ibiki had invited himself in let him be the one to make the first move. After what felt like a small eternity the scarred man finally spoke.

"This is a nice apartment Hatake-san."

Kakashi rolled his eyes

"I seriously doubt we are here to exchange niceties Morino-san. So cut the crap and get to the point.

The interrogator allowed himself a small smile."

"It seems your ability to read a situation remains as sharp as ever Kakashi."

The Jounin snorted softly

"Not exactly rocket science Ibiki, our illustrious Hokage after all did give me ample warning. I am just slightly shocked by her choice of personnel, I was expecting Mitarashi."

"Anko doesn't have the subtlety required, as good as she is she's far too direct in her approach."

"And the whole 'I'm your buddy wanna tell me all your secrets' approach isn't direct in the slightest."

It was Ibiki's turn to roll his eyes

"I thought you would appreciate a more honest approach. Tsunade-sama is worried about you."

Kakashi ignored the comment and continued to read his book, absentmindedly turning the pages as he mulled over his thoughts. He understood that Tsunade was worried but her concern was not based around his well-being, rather his usefulness. If he was deemed unstable and Kakashi truly hated that word with a passion, she would be losing a powerful tool and the Jounin would be losing his freedom. But he knew that Ibiki would understand the situation he was in, the interrogator understood that sometimes no information was better than false information.

"Kakashi..."

"Listen Ibiki, I don't know what Tsunade has told you but nothing happened. I don't know anything and I'm

not protecting anyone. So can you please let Hokage-sama know that I am fine."

"Why do I find that so hard to believe? I know you Hatake, probably better than anyone alive. I was there through the ANBU years and the aftermath of them. I have seen every one of your breakdowns, I am not blind Kakashi. I can see the signs, something is really bothering you and I'm willing to bet that it has everything to do with those two missing weeks."

The silver-haired man wanted to scream in frustration, he knew he couldn't divulge what had happened over the two weeks where he was 'detached' from his body. But maybe he could... twist it slightly and therefore get Tsunade, Ibiki and ANBU off his back without landing himself in a whole world of trouble. He gave a dramatic sigh, time to put this into action.

"Fine, okay, you win. I give up."

Ibiki's eyebrow shot up under his bandana.

"Really?"

"Lets face it I want you, Tsunade and ANBU to leave me the hell alone. I may have had some moments while I was out where I could hear what was going on around me. I thought they were just dreams, hallucinations but when I mentioned what I'd heard it turns out that it was quite the opposite. I heard the disagreements between Umino-san and Hokage-sama. That is why I went after him."

"You had to know if he was trying to hurt you?"

Kakashi didn't motion a reply but stared blankly into his book, hopefully that would be enough to get everyone off his back.

"So about Umino-san..."

Kakashi tried to remain neutral but he couldn't control the flicker of his eye at the brunette's mention. The interrogator noticed it and frowned, it appeared that there were still some more things to unearth. This was the conversation Ibiki had been dreading, he knew Kakashi knew about Umino's feelings, Tsunade had explained about the sensei's outburst. What he was unsure about was the silver haired mans feelings on the subject, it was after all a very unusual and uncomfortable situation in which to be thrust and Ibiki wasn't sure Kakashi had the emotional awareness to deal with it.

"What about him?"

The copy-nin's voice was bland but his eyes gave him away, Ibiki's brow furrowed as he studied the man

reaction shocking him slightly. He had expected Kakashi to be completely disinterested in the situation, that was how the Jounin usually dealt with emotional attachments. But the flicker, had that been interest? A genuine interest in another person? Well this was a turn up for the books, but did Kakashi know what he was letting himself in for?

The interrogator obviously knew about the sensei's somewhat disturbing past and he wondered what the silver haired mans reaction would be if he knew. If Ibiki knew Kakashi like he though he did, he knew that the Jounin would want to try and discreetly help the man. The copy-nin may not be good with emotions but he was passionate about protecting his comrades, especially those who were close to his precious people.

Suddenly some of the pieces clicked into place and Ibiki's eyes widened.

He knew.

Kakashi somehow knew about Iruka's past.

But that couldn't be right. The files detailing Iruka's condition and his last major breakdown were locked securely in the T and I's Psyche evaluation unit.

Unless...

Unless... It was happening again and Kakashi was trying to help, without drawing attention. Which had so far blown up rather spectacularly in his face. Suddenly a lot of things began to make sense and Ibiki almost slapped himself for not spotting the warning signs sooner.

"It's happening again isn't it?"

The Jounin's face remained impassive, but he had watched the realisation dawn on Ibiki's face. Kakashi dared not let on what he knew because he knew Ibiki would have the brunette hauled in faster than he could say

'kage-bushin'.

"What is?" The mask of nonchalance perfectly in place.

"Don't bullshit me Hatake. I saw him after last time and I swore I'd never see him like that again.

Kakashi please..."

That stopped the Jounin dead. He had never heard the stoic man plead for anything, it was so vastly out of character. Dark eyes met mismatched red and grey and Kakashi saw the worry in the inky depths.

Iruka must have been a hell of mess last time if Ibiki worried.

A long tense moment passed and the silver haired man finally came to a decision. Slowly he nodded and he heard Ibiki hiss as he sucked in a breath.

"Shit..." The interrogator muttered "How did you find out?"

Kakashi tried not to look uncomfortable "I noticed things, I saw the scars."

The scarred man frowned "Those were the worst, he cut so deep that even with healing chakra they didn't heal properly."

Mismatched eyes widened "There were more?"

Ibiki nodded

"He really did a number on himself, it was... disturbing. We all thought him to be so well balanced and then all of a sudden there he is lying on the floor bleeding from so many places I lost count. No one knew what had triggered it."

"It was Mizuki."

"Mizuki...? How on earth did you come to that conclusion?"

Kakashi shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"Naruto... He's surprisingly insightful on the subject."

The interrogator's frown deepened causing the scars across his face to crease, all of a sudden this whole situation had taken a new twist. If Mizuki had been the cause of Iruka's first breakdown then just how long had the man been building up to it? The two men had been known acquaintances for years, had there been something underneath the men's interaction that all of them, bar a certain blond, had missed?

The thought was certainly an unsettling one, to say the very least.

And disturbing though the information was, it wasn't exactly the information he'd been looking for about the other man.

"So why have you taken such an interest Kakashi?"

The Jounin looked to the floor, he had been expecting the question ever since Ibiki had first mentioned the brunette's name. The only problem was that Kakashi didn't have an answer to the question posed, he was still finding it difficult to understand exactly why he'd taken such an interest or what he felt on the subject.

Because he knew he felt something, he just didn't know what.

"You tell me Ibiki you're the expert, my head is so messed up I don't know what is going on anymore."

Kakashi dropped his head, arms rested on his knees utterly defeated.

The interrogator was shocked by the blunt honesty and sat forward adjusting himself in the armchair. Ibiki couldn't find the words to answer Kakashi's request, even if he had been able to, he didn't think he would be able to voice the answer. It was a topic the scarred man was pretty sure neither of them would be comfortable breaching.

The silence said it all to Kakashi and he shook his head mournfully.

"I see... I think that I may be getting attached to him as bizarre as it sounds."

"I'd say so. Although I have to admit it isn't something that I was expecting. In fact I was expecting quite the opposite."

Silver brows shot up.

"How so?"

"Well normally you would vigorously push anyone who had any interest in you away.

The Jounin still refused to meet Ibiki's questioning gaze.

"I can't understand how he has gotten under my skin. We barely know each other."

"Emotions rarely work the way you expect Kakashi. It's one of the wonderful and must frustrating things about being human."

They were prevented from continuing the conversation any further by a knocking or rather a scratching at the door. Ibiki looked at the door in confusion and then back at the copy-nin, who had frozen in his chair. Kakashi felt his blood run cold, that noise could only mean one thing. He rose quickly from the chair not even bothering to explain to Ibiki where he was going, although it really was obvious. The silver haired man flung the door open and looked down, the small pug looked up completely drenched and shivering.

"B-boss..." Pakkun managed to grind out through chattering teeth.

Kakashi didn't waste a second and whisked the frozen summon inside, grabbing a blanket on his way back to the lounge area. Ibiki looked on his brow creased in confusion as he watched the other man haul in a bundle of blankets, it took a few minutes but eventually the interrogator recognised the small animal buried in the swath of cloth.

Kakashi quickly attempted to dry the mutt and probably would have succeeded if Pakkun hadn't squirmed under the Jounin's ministrations. After a brief scuffle and a few nips and growls the pug was dry and glaring at his master.

"Did you have to be so rough?"

The summon growled.

"Pakkun now is not the time."

Baleful eyes instantly focused and the dog stood to attention. "H-he..." The pug noticed the rooms other occupant.

"What is he doing here?"

"Pakkun!" Kakashi tone was sharp and he sounded almost desperate.

Pakkun looked abashed

"Sorry boss... He- he's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone."

"Exactly what I mean, he's gone. He knocked out the blond brat and scarpered."

Kakashi's eyes widened

"What was Naruto doing there?"

"He...I, it'll take too long to explain you need to get moving. He's probably at the outskirts now."

"But..."

The pug growled deeply.

"I said to you need to get moving. If you want to know that badly leave a clone."

The Jounin contemplated it momentarily and then quickly flashed through the hand-signs, there was a poof of smoke and a second Kakashi appeared. The original swayed slightly and then steadied himself, he glanced at Ibiki who had a confused look on his face. The interrogator looked between the animal and the silver haired man, Kakashi looked directly into his eyes and knew instantly what the man was asking of him.

He gave a deep sigh "I'm probably going to regret this. Go, I'll stall the ANBU."

The copy-nin nodded, grabbed a hitai-ate and gave him a patented eye smile before quickly disappearing out of the kitchen window, leaving behind a quiet trio of man, clone and animal. Ibiki turned to the summon a grim look on his face and his dark eyes darting about suspiciously. He knew they didn't have much time until the ANBU outside realised that the 'Kakashi' sitting with him was just a clone.

"So explain." He said bluntly.

"Where do you want me to start?" the pug asked.

"The beginning would be a good place" The clone sniped, his nervousness betrayed in his voice.

Pakkun growled "I went to Iruka-sensei's like I was asked to. When I arrived I gained entrance through the open kitchen window."

"Like summon, like master." Ibiki muttered under his breath.

This earned him a glare from the two occupants and he held his hands up in a peace gesture.

"Sorry, sorry please continue."

Pakkun held his glare for a second longer before continuing "The apartment appeared to be empty and then I heard the shower running, so I went to the bathroom to investigate. I found Iruka-sensei out cold on the floor of his shower..."

In the armchair the clone's fingers tightened around the rough fabric, almost enough to tear and causing his already pale hands to further whiten. The interrogator noticed the unconscious gesture and felt a pang in his chest, it appeared Kakashi was more attached than he thought.

"... He appeared to be uninjured apart from the early symptoms of hypothermia. Around five minutes after I arrived Naruto did. He helped me get Iruka-sensei into his bedroom and warmed up. The boy refused to leave and looked about ready to drop, so I told him to sleep. After much coaxing he did suggesting that I hide myself, so I did and I kept watch. About an hour ago Iruka-sensei awoke after what seemed to be a nightmare. He and Naruto talked and then he knocked him out and fled. I came right back here."

Both of the humans looked at one another, similar looks of horror and worry etched on their faces.

"What were Naruto and Iruka-sensei talking about?" Ibiki asked.

The pug shifted uncomfortably "About the rumours flying around..."

"The nightmare, did he say anything in his sleep?" The clone demanded.

Pakkun frowned "He was pleading."

"With who?"

"Someone called Mizuki, Naruto... You."

The summon met his masters gaze and winced, the mismatched eyes all of a sudden seemed so lost and hurt.

"I've heard enough."

In a flash the clone was on his feet and flicking through the hand-signs dispersing himself, a wisp of chakra smoke the only indication it had ever existed.

Pakkun turned to Ibiki "Do you think he'll be able to help Iruka-sensei?"

The interrogator looked the dog straight in the eye and when he spoke his voice was wistful.

"With any luck Pakkun they'll help one another."

The memories from the dissipated clone hit Kakashi with the force of a hammer. The grief, anger and worry flooded his system and almost caused him to stop in his pursuit. He took a moment to steady himself and process what he had been told and his stomach churned unpleasantly at the knowledge. He felt guilt at being a main factor in Iruka's desertion and fear at the state he would find the brunette in.

That thought caused Kakashi to spur onwards battling the heavy storm that had closed in around Konoha, the wind and rain roaring through the trees like some untamed beast. The weather was slowing his progress but he could catch a whiff of Iruka's scent on the wind and knew that he was catching up. He kept moving, dancing through the branches and following the trail that the other man was not making any effort to hide.

Finally a flash of unnatural darkness to his right indicated that Kakashi had caught up to his quarry. The shadow ducked out and landed in a nearby clearing and the Jounin followed. Kakashi landed gracefully at one end of the clearing at the other stood a bedraggled and thoroughly soaked Iruka. The brunette either hadn't noticed Kakashi or was choosing to ignore him and was staring at the cloud covered sky. Cautiously the silver haired man moved forward not wanting to startle the skittish Iruka.

"I should have known it would be you..." Iruka said blandly, his gaze not leaving the sky.

"Iruka, what the hell do you think you are doing."

Dark chocolate eyes met the single grey. "I think we have already had this conversation Hatake-san and like before I believe the answer is obvious."

The two men stood in silence eying one another intensely.

"So are you going to do it?"

Silver brows shot up "Do what?"

"Kill me."

Kakashi just managed to contain the gasp that worked its way up his throat. So _that_ was what all this was about. Iruka was still trying to end his life, except this time he was getting someone to do the dirty work. The Jounin felt anger ripple beneath his frozen skin, why couldn't Iruka see that people needed him? That there were those in the village who cared deeply for him, enough to defy a direct order from their leader.

Something in Kakashi's mind clicked.

And as he watched the man being whipped by the wind and rain, dark locks shining in the pale moonlight he knew that this was clearly more than mere infatuation. He had gotten himself into this situation with the intention of helping Iruka and nothing more, the Jounin hadn't intended getting attached and dare he say it falling for the emotionally damaged sensei.

But yet here he was.

He was drawn from his thoughts as a crackle of leaves echoed around the clearing. Iruka had turned to face him and was slowly closing the distance between them. The brunette's hands moved to the shirt he was wearing and opened the buttons exposing the upper part of his chest. Then he withdrew a kunai from the folds of his chest and held it over his heart.

"So Hatake-san, I'm giving you the opportunity. Strike true."

"Why would I want to do that Iruka."

"I deserted the village. I'm a traitor."

"You're the most loyal person I've ever met and as far as I'm concerned you haven't deserted the village." Kakashi answered with sincerity.

"I have and if you don't kill me then I'll kill you."

"Then do it."

"Just kill me!"

"No!"

"Why won't you do it!" Iruka bellowed, frustration oozing from every pore.

"Because you are so much better than this, because as useless and downtrodden as you feel there are people who still care about you, need you... want you."

Kakashi raised his hand to tenderly cup Iruka's cheek, the brunette's eyes widened and he froze on the spot at the gentle touch. Slowly the silver haired man leaned in and gingerly laid cloth covered lips on Iruka's damp cold ones. The kiss was chaste but soon Kakashi applied more pressure and eventually the shell shocked Iruka kissed back. It was all seemingly fine until the brunette stiffened and hastily pushed the other man away.

"No... Stop... This isn't right. Y-you can't possibly..."

"I can. I do."

"STOP LYING!" Iruka's eyes were wild.

"I'm not lying! Why is it so hard for you to believe me!" Kakashi snarled in frustration.

The brunette clearly had no answer for him and fell silent, his eyes trying to bore holes in the ground. Kakashi once again closed the distance between the two of them his pale hand winding its way around the tanned one still tightly clasping the kunai.

"Please Iruka, please believe me."

"I-I want to... I really do... But I can't, there's something in me that just can't."

"Then at least let me try."

Kakashi never received his answer as the brown eyes suddenly went wide and dilated before sliding shut, the Jounin barely had any time to react as the other man slumped forward unconscious.

"Iruka, shit... Iruka wake up."

The brunette didn't stir and as Kakashi adjusted the other mans weight he noticed the dart piercing the base of Iruka's neck. He bit back a crash of fury and tried his best to remain composed as the hunter-nins dropped down into the clearing. Clearly Ibiki hadn't stalled them quite long enough.

"Hatake-san."

The hunter greeted him stiffly and formally. Kakashi held no love for the being stood before him, he knew why they were here and the silver haired man reflexively tightened his grip on Iruka.

"Hunter-sans"

"We need to take him now Hatake-san."

Kakashi faltered for a second before answering.

"No."

"Excuse me" The voice behind the mask could not contain its surprise.

"I said no. I will take him back, he's coming with me." Kakashi voice was resolute.

"I have my orders Hatake-san. The teacher is to come with me."

"Again I say no. Iruka-sensei is coming with me."

The hunter gave a deep sigh. "Then you leave me with no choice."

The Jounin readied himself but it was too little too late, he felt a pin prick at the side of his neck and then the whole world fell into darkness.

~Chapter Thirteen end~

A/N: Gah sooooo sorry. I promise that this is the last 'evil' cliff-hanger, this story is very close to ending now *Sniffs slightly* There are two more proper chapters and an 'omake' style epilogue, so please don't be too angry with me.

Anywho... reviewers will be showered with my homemade Naruto rag-dolls (I've been on a craft kick recently).

Next Chapter: Kakashi and Tsunade resolve some issues shinobi style and there are more complications surrounding Iruka.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Okay... So here's one of the events seemingly everyone has been waiting for and to be honest one I've been looking forward to writing. As always I want to thank everyone so much for all the wonderful reviews, you guys are all amazing and they never cease to make me glow with happiness:

To my Anon reviewers:

**Annie**: *Laughs* Hopefully this chapter won't disappoint and the rest of your answers will be coming in the next chapter... Hopefully. It's me, you know what I'm like though.

Oh and I totally agree with the 'Danzo is a bastard' comment. I too also couldn't wait for the old fart to buy it. ^_^

**Prescripto13:** You're PM is switched off so I'll reply here. I'm glad someone found amusement at my fight. Honestly it was a real battle but I eventually won and got the chapter out. I still have the bruises. ^_^

And I'm glad you liked Ibiki, I was worried about putting him in because I haven't written him before. But I don't think anyone has ever called my writing wise before lol. Crazy but not wise lol!

**Amber:** Yes, yes she is. Thanks for the review sweetie.

Anyway... on with the show *Rubs hands together in evil glee*

Chapter Fourteen

When Kakashi opened his eyes he was greeted with a familiar looking ceiling. Resisting the urge to groan he turned on his side and buried his head in the sterile pillow, cursing just about every deity for once again landing him in the hospital. His head felt groggy from the sedative the hunter-nin had hit him with and the Jounin cursed himself for forgetting about the second ninja in the clearing. He should have been paying more attention to his surroundings and not worrying so much about Iruka.

Every nerve ending instantly fired to attention.

Iruka, where was Iruka?

He sat up in the uncomfortable bed the crisp, clean sheets tangled around his flailing limbs and eyes darting wildly around the room. Kakashi felt panic flare in his chest when he realised he was alone and he clambered out of the cot, almost falling as the sheets caught around his feet. He ran bare foot to the rooms door, flung open the entrance and was instantly met with a masked face.

"Where do you think you are going Hatake-san?"

The silver haired man growled at the hunter. "Out."

The white porcelain mask cocked to one side in a condescending manner. "Really? Somehow I don't think so Hatake. The Hokage has ordered you to stay here until she comes to deal with you."

Kakashi felt his stomach twist but he maintained his steely glare, the hunter seemed completely unperturbed and just turned back around. The copy-nin slammed the door in frustration, the noise echoing through the hospital like a crack of thunder. He stalked back over to the bed and threw himself down like a petulant teenager, why had everything gone so wrong? He had tried to help but it appeared to everything he did made it worse.

Kakashi was truly at his wits end.

He tossed and turned on the bed as he tried to push the worrying thoughts rather unsuccessfully from his mind. But the horrifying image of Iruka's eyes dimming and then sliding shut invaded every recess of his brain and it made him feel nauseated. His self recrimination was interrupted as he heard voices talking outside of his makeshift cell door. Kakashi couldn't quite make out what was being said, but he could hear the hunters voice radiating annoyance. After a few minutes the silver haired man felt the hunter's chakra signature move away and two somewhat familiar ones take residence outside the door.

The Jounin stared blankly at the entryway and was somewhat shocked when a tentative knock echoed through the room.

"Come in?" He replied confused, eying the door with the utmost suspicion.

The door opened admitting two familiar faces, both of which were contorted with worry. Kakashi's eyebrow shot up, of all the people it could have been these two were the last two he was expecting.

"Hagane-san, Kamizuki-san. What brings you here?"

Izumo and Kotetsu looked at one another before stepping in and closing the door behind them.

"We were wondering if we could talk to you Hatake-sama." Izumo answered, his dark eyes not leaving the copy-nins.

Beside him the spiky haired Chunnin shifted nervously "It's about Iruka."

Kakashi's attention instantly perked up "What about him?"

"We want to know what is going on."

The silver haired man sighed and shook his head, he knew that these two were close to Iruka but could he trust them? The two nin in question just waited for an answer and silence reigned throughout the room.

"Hatake-sama please. He's our friend, our comrade, we have a right to know what is going on and we know you have something to do with it."

Kakashi couldn't meet their questioning gaze. "I don't know what you expect from me."

"Just something, anything, we saw them haul both you and Iruka in. Is it true what they're saying that he tried to go rogue." Kotetsu's voice was pitching slightly.

"I-I don't know... I don't think he was trying to go rogue, I think he was trying to escape."

"God damn it!" Izumo cried, punching the wall. "That bloody idiot, why does he insist on going it alone. Didn't what happened at the bar make him realise..."

"Izumo shut up!" Kotetsu was wild eyed and frantically trying to shush the other man.

"It's okay you two, I know all about that."

The two Chunnin looked agape at the copy-nin and Kakashi resisted the urge to chuckle at the look on their faces.

"H-how."

The silver haired man sighed "It's a long and complicated story."

"Then you know..."

"Yes I know how he feels."

Suddenly both men turned defensive "If you try and hurt him..."

"I have no intention of hurting him Hagane-san... I..It's complicated but you can rest assured I do not wish Iruka any harm."

Kotetsu grinned albeit somewhat nervously "Then that's okay then."

The relaxed atmosphere was rudely interrupted as a nurse burst in flushed and panting.

"Is Shizune-san here?"

The three men turned to face the young woman and they all shook their head.

"Damn Yamanaka-sama is not going to be pleased."

The mention of the blond Jounin caused Kakashi's blood to run cold and he dreaded the answer to the question that was resting on the tip of his tongue.

"Uh... what does Yamanaka-san want Shizune-san for?"

The nurse brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "He wants a medic to be present while they interrogate the latest prisoner. Another traitor I heard, tried to go rogue last night."

The room went suddenly silent and the temperature dropped several degrees, Izumo and Kotetsu stared in shock at the nurse and felt the bottom fall out of their stomachs. If Inoichi Yamanaka was interrogating Iruka then it was entirely possible that the man they both cared for could be completely changed or even worse left a catatonic vegetable. The Chunnin turned to face the Jounin behind them and found nothing but an open window and a fluttering curtain.

"Shit. He wasn't meant to leave." The bandana'd man muttered.

"I know. We better try and catch up with him before he causes too much trouble or Tsunade-sama is going to have our heads."

"She's already going to have our heads for lying to ANBU."

"Ah... Fair point. Either way I think we should try and stop him from doing something colossally stupid. If not for us then for Iruka." Kotetsu reasoned.

"Okay, let's go buddy."

The two men barged passed the confused looking nurse, who watched them leave with a deep frown.

"Was is something I said?" She muttered to herself, shutting the door as she left the hospital room.

Kakashi was angry.

If he was being really honest with himself and let's face it, it was something he seemed to be doing a lot recently he was completely _furious_. Although he had a lot of respect for Inoichi Yamanaka he knew exactly what his clans special abilities involved, which of course meant Tsunade knew as well. Didn't she care that Inoichi could potentially destroy the young brunette? Kakashi had seen the results of the Yamanaka's jutsu and just couldn't bear to see the passionate teacher erased, left with the hollow blankness of mental oblivion.

And although he really didn't know what he could do to stop what was happening, he'd be damned if he wasn't going to try. Resolve steeled he moved toward the one person he both did and didn't want to see at this precise second in time.

The Hokage tower loomed ominously in the distance.

Kakashi moved with purpose through the front doors an aura of doom, worry and just sheer rage radiating off of him. Ninja, ANBU and otherwise shrank back as he marched through the corridors toward the mission's office, the one place he knew his prey would be. He flung open the doors sending them slamming against the plastered walls, cracking them with the sheer force. Every head in the room turned to the open doorway, and instantly froze at the furious wraith standing there.

The copy-nin stalked forward all deadly grace and killing intent, the people in the room parting like the sea in the old legends, not wanting to be caught up in the storms wake. Around him Kakashi noticed a number of familiar faces. Team eight and ten were present apparently picking up a mission, Iruka's pre-genin were littered around the room on what appeared to be a field trip and some of the younger children looked as if they were about to cry. Behind the desk sat Genma and Tsunade. The senbon sucking Jounin shrank back as the silver haired approached but the Hokage sat completely still, amber eyes blazing furiously.

"What are you doing here Hatake?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi exploded, slamming a chakra filled fist down on the desk causing it to creak and groan under the pressure.

"What do you think!" He spat venomously single grey eye narrowing.

"I'm doing what I have to."

"At the cost of a man's life and sanity!"

"Umino knew what he was letting himself in for when he disobeyed. He had been warned more than once." Tsunade replied blandly.

At the mention of Iruka's surname the younger members of the room instantly focused on the fight. The two combatants however were completely oblivious to the attention being bestowed upon them.

"How can you possibly say that!" The silver haired man bellowed "You saw the state he was in, how can you be so blind!"

The Hokage raised a tawny brow "I thought Ibiki was exaggerating about you but it appears he was right."

Kakashi's chakra crackled around his fist "This is not about me, this is about Iruka! Stop changing the subject!"

"I'm not changing the subject Kakashi, the matter of Iruka-sensei is closed. Now if you don't want to find yourself visiting Yamanaka-san yourself I advise you _leave now_."

"No... And the matter is not closed."

Tsunade rose from the desk and stared the copy-nin down. "What was that Hatake?"

Around them the room watched with bated breath as two of the villages most powerful ninja stared each other down with a frightening intensity. The air around them crackled with indefinable intent and both adults and children alike seemed almost afraid to move and disturb the air, feeling it would make the room explode.

"I said no."

"You're disobeying me."

"No, I'm outright defying you because you're wrong."

Tsunade frowned "I'm wrong? About what exactly?"

"This whole situation. Iruka isn't a traitor."

The room exploded in an uproar lead by the pre-genin and Tsunade was suddenly bombarded by small pounding fists and high pitched whining questions. Beside them the teachers looked on aghast and made no effort to restrain the children. Overwhelmed and vastly outnumbered the Hokage's already frayed temper snapped and she lost it. Mustering her monstrous strength she grabbed one corner of the desk and tossed it against the wall. It shattered as it hit the solid structure spewing splinters and chunks of wood everywhere, eyes went wide and the room stilled to silence.

"Everybody out NOW!" She bellowed a vein ticking furiously in her forehead.

The room emptied in an instant and the only people left were Kakashi, Genma and Tsunade. Genma was still sat on his chair completely frozen in place and his jaw was clenched so tightly it was a wonder he hadn't snapped the senbon he had clenched there. Tsunade stood at her full height her chakra almost a visible veil around her giving an almost godlike quality as she glared at the silver haired Jounin. Kakashi glared back his own chakra crackling around him sparking like lightning with him at the epicentre, the eye of the storm.

"You insolent brat! How DARE you! You have no idea what is going on..." Tsunade snarled, arms ram-rod straight at her side.

"I have more of an idea than you do..." Kakashi spat, contempt dripping off every word. "You think you have the whole story but you've been so twisted and embittered by what he said it has blinded you to his suffering."

The blonde snorted "Iruka has hardly suffered, at least no more than any other."

The silver haired man saw red "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S BEEN GOING THROUGH BECAUSE YOU'RE LETTING A STUPID GRUDGE CLOUD YOUR JUDGMENT!"

Kakashi took great pleasure in throwing Tsunade's own cruel words back in her face and it looked as if they hit their mark. The Hokage's face contorted in fury, the youthful features suddenly showing the age and bitterness behind them.

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU INSINUATE THAT I..."

"Unlike you I look underneath things Tsunade-sama. I see things the way they are and not the way they are projected, you can't fool me I can see right through you."

The blonde growled, closed the distance between them and looked the him dead in the eye. Kakashi watched as the woman fought for control, her slightly smaller frame visibly shaking under the strain. The Jounin felt absolutely no sympathy for Tsunade, he wasn't saying anything that wasn't true and he was pretty sure that deep down the Hokage knew that as well.

"You don't understand a damn thing brat! Iruka is nothing but poison and it's more obvious now than ever. You say my judgment has been clouded, it's like the pot calling the kettle black!"

Kakashi growled "It has done nothing of the sort. My judgment is as sound as ever Tsunade-sama, I would act the same way for any of my comrades because what you are doing is wrong! It is just coincidence that the person in question is Iruka!"

Tsunade glowered at the Jounin in front of her, the fury radiating off her intensifying. She truly didn't need this insubordination right now and had really had enough of this topic, it was time Kakashi learnt that the matter was closed once and for all.

"I don't care what you think. I am Hokage and my word is law! I will have no more talk about Umino, he tried to abandon the village and is being dealt with as such. Don't push me Hatake you were caught with him I could just as easily have you in there with him!"

"THEN WHY DON'T YOU!" Kakashi's control had finally snapped at the thinly veiled threat. "I'd rather become a vegetable than live in a village where such an injustice is allowed to occur!"

Tsunade's eyes went wide at the outburst but the silver haired Jounin hadn't finished, in fact it seemed as if he'd barely started.

"YOU KNOW HE REALLY HAD YOU PEGGED WHEN HE CALLED YOU A LOATHSOME CREATURE, YOU TRULY ARE A DESPICABLE BEING PUTTING YOUR OWN PRIDE ABOVE THE WELL BEING OF OTHERS... IF YOU COULD SEE FOR ONE DAY WHAT HE'S BEEN GOING THROUGH YOU WOULD WANT TO GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES AND PLEAD FOR FORGIVENESS! YOU SELF CENTRED, VAIN, VILE OLD HAG..."

**SMACK!**

The flow of cruel words abruptly came to a stop as Tsunade's hand found Kakashi's cheek. Her eyes were hard and cold as the palm met flesh and the force of the blow sent the cloth that had been covering Kakashi's Sharingan fluttering from his head. Emotions tumbled through the silver haired mans being: sadness, regret and utter, utter rage and the crimson orb burned seemingly aching for an outlet. Slowly Kakashi turned his head back toward the Hokage and as his mismatched gaze met her honeyed orbs he couldn't help but feel vindicated as he heard her gasp. Tsunade froze as Kakashi stared into her eyes, the familiar three tiered Sharingan no longer visible, instead in its place the swirling mass of the Mangekyo loomed in front of her spinning wildly. Kakashi stood still and stony faced before whispering.

"See."

And heat burst from the Sharingan.

The room around Tsunade seemed to melt into nothingness and her mind was invaded by Kakashi's memories. The two weeks in which the Jounin had painstakingly followed the sensei around filtered into the Hokage's consciousness. Every tiny detail that had been recorded, every fake smile, every tear, every lie pounded into Tsunade's brain and Iruka's real self was laid bare to the woman.

The Hokage saw the cruelty she had bestowed upon Iruka through impartial eyes. She choked back a sob as she watched the night with the mites, gasped as she witnessed the fight in the bar and let tears fall as his attempted suicide flashed in front of her watery eyes. The final scene, the one from the previous evening unfolded slowly, Tsunade felt her heart catch in her throat as she watched Iruka ask to be killed, the brown eyes so full of sorrow. She felt Kakashi's confused emotions tumble through her as she saw the tentative kiss between the two men.

And then as soon as the visions began they ended and the blonde slumped to her knees, shaking violently and sobbing. Kakashi soon joined her as the strain on his still recovering chakra network caused him to visibly wilt and fall forward.

Silence resounded through the room encompassing everything and for a moment the whole world stilled.

"I-I... had no idea. H-how did you see all that" Tsunade choked, furiously wiping her eyes.

"I was there, my consciousness was separate from my body." Kakashi replied, panting from the exertion.

"Then the jutsu that hit you..."

"It really worked... sort of."

"And Iruka..."

"Yes. He was the conduit."

There was another moment of silence as the implications sunk in.

"I guess I owe you an apology." Tsunade muttered, not daring to meet the silver haired mans gaze.

Kakashi shook his head "I'm not the one you should be apologising to."

The blonde nodded solemnly "You were right though. I was letting our argument cloud my decisions. I-It's hard to have your failures thrown in your face like that and he is so much like his parents it hurts to look at him sometimes. I guess I just let my grief and resentment get the better of me. I thought I was protecting you but it turn out I was trying to protect myself."

"But it's not too late to set things right."

Tsunade laughed bitterly "Somehow I think that ship has sailed."

A silver brow arched "Never underestimate the depths of human forgiveness Tsunade-sama. If it's one thing I've learned during my life, it's that."

Their conversation was interrupted as the doors slammed open once again, this time admitting a worried looking Chunnin twosome. Izumo and Kotetsu eyed the destruction warily as they stepped into the room and moved toward the Hokage and Kakashi. The silver haired man looked up and gave the two men a grin, instantly the tension that had built up in the room dissipated and both Chunnin gaze a small sigh of relief. Kakashi rose from the floor a little shakily and offered a hand to Tsunade, the Hokage looked nervously at the appendage as if it was going to bite her and then very reluctantly accepted the help to stand.

"Hatake-sama, Hokage-sama are you okay?"

Izumo rushed forward to support Tsunade but the blonde shrugged him off with a glare, Kakashi and Kotetsu both rolled their eyes.

"We're fine Kamizuki. I need you to send a message to Yamanaka-san."

Izumo's eyes widened in shock "O-of course Hokage-sama."

"Tell him to cease and desist all actions involving Umino Iruka at once."

"A-at once Hokage-sama!"

"Good... And take Hatake with you. I believe he has some unfinished business to resolve."

"Hai! Hokage-sama."

Both men bowed before leaving the room at a rapid pace. Mentally exhausted Tsunade ambled back to her chair, slunk down into it and sprawled. After a moment she turned to the still shell shocked Genma with a wicked smile on her face.

"Shiranui?"

"Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Get me some sake."

Kakashi and Izumo raced across the rooftops of Konoha toward the Torture and Interrogation building, both men moved in silence neither wanting to broach the subject of what had just happened in the missions office. But soon the silence and curiosity finally became too much for the Chunnin and he turned to the other man.

"What on earth did you do Hatake-sama to make her free Iruka?"

The silver haired man ignored the question and carried on moving forward. He didn't really want to discuss what he had just shared with the Hokage, in fact he was somewhat ashamed of what he had done. He had lost control of his Sharingan and poured his emotions and memories into the blonde's head allowing Tsunade to experience everything he had over the missing weeks. Kakashi felt his stomach curdle at what he shared, but it had none the less been effective.

Izumo looked abashed and focused his attention forward once more. "Either way Hatake-sama, thank you."

After a short while they came to the dark building that was the Torture and Interrogations headquarters. Kakashi felt a shudder ripple through him, he had been to this building many times before but never as an inmate. He dreaded to think the treatment that the brunette had been put through already and knew that they had to hurry. They passed through the nondescript doors and quickly made their way to the reception. The ninja behind the desk gaze them a wary look.

"We're here to see Yamanaka-sama. Hokage's orders."

The receptionist waved them along "He's in interrogation room 6 with the latest prisoner."

Worry flooded Kakashi's gut and he hurried along the corridor, Izumo quickly followed but not before thanking the receptionist. They reached the room and the Jounin banged on the entryway, there was a moment of muted whispering before the door opened.

"We are busy go away. Whatever it is it can wait until later."

Izumo pushed himself past Kakashi "I bring new orders from Hokage-sama. You are to cease and desist any actions involving Umino Iruka immediately."

The man at the door frowned and retreated into the room, outside the two ninja heard a number of locks sliding open and then the door swung open.

"Come in."

The Jounin and Chunnin obeyed and walked into the darkened room. Inside laid out on a cold table was Iruka, still unconscious and hovering over him, hand pressed to his forehead was Yamanaka Inoichi. The blond's face was contorted in concentration and a faint glow radiated from his being. The man who had let them in the room quietly called out to Inoichi and slowly the blond came out of his trance.

"What is it now? I have a lot of work to do, I haven't been able to get a damned thing out of him and I've been here for twelve hours straight. His mental defences are like none I've ever seen" He growled.

The man shrunk back slightly "We have new orders."

Inoichi groaned and rubbed his weary eyes. "Go on."

"We are to cease and desist."

A blond eyebrow quirked "On whose authority?"

"By the authority of the Hokage." Izumo stepped forward, alerting the Jounin to the rooms other occupants.

Inoichi folded his arms across his chest and shook his head "Please excuse me if I don't believe you and want to confirm it."

Kakashi rolled his eyes, amused at every Jounin's innate paranoia "Go ahead Yamanaka-san. We'll still be here."

The blond nodded "Aoba give him the antidote to the sedative, he needs an extra dose though I had to put him deep under to get anywhere. I'm going to go and check these orders, he should be awake by time I get back."

There was a displacement of air and Inoichi was gone. Aoba walked across the room to a glass cabinet and pulled out two syringes then walked back the unconscious brunette and jabbed them both into the chest. Kakashi winced as the plungers were depressed.

"I'd stand back he should come to pretty quickly."

They waited...

And waited...

And waited...

Inoichi suddenly reappeared with a pop. "I thought I told you to give him the antidote."

Aoba frowned "I did, a double dose as well."

Inoichi's blue eyes went wide with worry "Then he should be awake by now, something is wrong."

Kakashi's stomach plummeted, this couldn't be happening not now, not after all they'd been through. Finally things had been looking up, this was just cruel. The blond moved over the unconscious man and once again placed his hand over the brunette's forehead. He focused his chakra and tried to probe into Iruka's mind but he abruptly jumped back as though he had been burned.

"Shit! Damn it!"

Izumo rushed forward "What is it, what's wrong!"

"His mental defences have gone into complete lock down I can't get in."

The silver haired Jounin moved toward Inoichi and grabbed the man by the front of his vest. "Fix it! Fix it now God damn it!"

"I CAN'T! HIS PSYCHE HAS GONE INTO LOCKDOWN. HE'S TRAPPED HIMSELF INSIDE."

"It can't be." Kakashi's grip loosened and his hands slid to his side

"I'm sorry."

"No..." The word was whispered utterly defeated.

~End Chapter Fourteen~

A/N: EeeeeK I'm sorry! I wasn't going to end the chapter there... Actually I was gonna end it after the fight. But the next chapter is looking to be mammoth and so I had to cut it down somehow.

So please don't kill me for the cliff-hanger, it wasn't entirely intentional.

*Flee's wrath of readers*

Anywho... Um... the next and final chapter is due out on Saturday and I plan to have the epilogue out on Monday (29th) as a birthday present to myself. This will be the first multi-chapter fic I have finished and what better day to end it than on your birthday. *Grins*


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Um... Soooo sorry for the end of last chapter. I know I promised no more cliff-hangers but well... I'm just evil sorry. At least you don't have to worry about this chapter though it, being the last official one of the story. I can't believe I finally made it this far O_O. Thank you so much to everyone for all your support.

Anywho enough dallying about, lets wrap this bad boy up.

To my Anon reviewers:

Lona: Thank you for the review sweetie. Hopefully this will fulfil your wishes. ^_^

Annie: *Glomps* I'm sorry I made you cry, although I suppose it means I'm doing something right if I made you feel that strongly ^_^. Here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it.

Eve: Your comment about 3 stories worth of torture made my plot bunny fluff it's fur in pride, damned emo little thing. ^_^. I'm glad you're enjoying this even if it is a little more twisted than what you generally read.

Ashley: *Laughs* Yes I can certainly understand that feeling. Although if they don't act stupid there wouldn't be much of a story would there lol. Thanks so much for the review sweetie, hope you enjoy the final chapter.

Cherrie-san: Um... Sorry. Hopefully this will make up for the horrible HORRIBLE cliffhanger.

Warnings: There is blood and violence in this chapter as well as a little bit of boy/boy making out. You have been warned so please no flames.

Chapter Fifteen.

Kakashi tossed and turned fitfully on his bed, two days had passed since the events in the Torture and Interrogation building and Iruka still hadn't roused from his self-imposed coma. Inoichi was utterly at his wits end, he had tried every single technique to try and access the brunette's mind and bring him back to the land of the waking. Every attempt thus far had been thwarted and it was beginning to take its toll on all those involved.

Especially Kakashi.

The silver haired man could feel a piece of himself slipping away every time Inoichi failed. If the medic-nin hadn't thrown him out of the T and I building and demanded he go home and rest he'd still be there right now watching over the unconscious brunette. His stomach twisted with guilt and longing, he didn't care anymore he just wanted Iruka to be awake and back to his normal self. Kakashi knew he wasn't alone in the way he was feeling, Naruto had been almost as bad as him with his worrying. The blond had been with him every step of the way through this ordeal after he'd regained consciousness and had held no resentment for Iruka. Something the Jounin had been eternally grateful for. In fact he been just as stubborn in his vigil and had only relented after Tsunade had forcibly evicted him from the hospital room.

The pair of them must have been quite a handful and normally he could have found some solace in being a royal pain in Tsunade's ass. But not right now, the feeling of loneliness was squashing every shred of his humanity and with it his sense of humour.

A knock at the door interrupted his wallowing and Kakashi quickly ran to the door, hoping, pleading for some good news. He quickly flung open expecting to be met with Shizune or Tsunade but was instead met with a pair of blood shot blue eyes. The Jounin's heart fell slightly but he could not feel disheartened at Naruto's appearance.

"Can't sleep Naruto?" Kakashi asked, a silver brow arched.

The blond shook his head, melancholy almost solid in the air around him. Kakashi sighed deeply and chuckled mirthlessly.

"Me either, fancy a spar?"

The look of shock on Naruto's face nearly made the silver haired Jounin laugh out loud but it faded quickly as the blond hastily accepted the offer. It appeared both men had a lot of stuff to work out of their system before they had any hope of slumber.

An hour later the eighth training ground was an absolute mess. Tree's had been uprooted and scorched with numerous fire jutsu, the once grassy floor now more closely resembled marshland and the parts that had been spared the watery fate were now riddled with Rasengan induced pock-holes deep enough to capture some of the larger woodland creatures. At the far end of the ground Naruto and Kakashi sat under a bedraggled but still standing tree gasping for breath and sweating heavily.

"I miss the days when I could take you hands down." Kakashi muttered, the words strained in his chest.

The blond let out a hollow laugh "That's because your lazy."

The Jounin just smiled under his mask and shrugged "Mah.. You had me pegged a long time ago didn't you Naruto."

Naruto grinned "Yup, right from the start you lazy old pervert."

Even with the good natured banter the two lapsed into a depressing yet thoughtful silence both men knowing that there was another subject to breech but unsure as how to do so. Kakashi just stared out at the clear night sky watching the clouds pass in front of the full moon whilst Naruto picked at the grass beneath his feet.

"So..."

"So..."

The pair looked at one another despairingly and then began laughing at their foolishness. The tension lifted immediately as their chuckles died down and finally Naruto plucked up his courage and spoke.

"What is going on between you and Iruka-sensei?"

The silver haired man looked uncomfortable for a moment but realised that if there was anyone who could help him get through to the unconscious Iruka, it was the young man sitting in front of him.

"Honestly... "

"Honestly..." Naruto mimed, eyes shining in anticipation and sincerity.

"I think I'm falling for him."

"Falling? I think you've already way passed that stage Kakashi-sensei, I mean you stood up to Baa-chan for him."

Kakashi glared at his charge but couldn't refute the young man's word, he had done a lot of crazy things since waking up from the coma.

"Falling, fallen it doesn't really matter in the long run."

A blond eyebrow rose inquzitively "Really how so? You care about him, he cares about you I don't see what the problem is?"

The Jounin's whole posture slumped "The problem is he doesn't believe that I care about him, he thinks I'm toying with him."

"I can understand that, let's face it some of your previous interactions aren't exactly friendly."

"I know and it drives me insane that I didn't notice any of this before now. The signs were right in front of me but I was too busy or ignorant to notice. That I didn't see the burdens he placed upon himself, all the extra work, looking after the mites..."

Blue eyes widened exponentially and then narrowed in suspicion "How do you know about the mites?"

The statement was growled and it was clear Naruto's hackles had been raised by the off handed comment. Kakashi felt confused at his students reaction once again he had misjudged the situation.

"I... Er..."

"Were you spying on us? God-damn it Kakashi were you spying on us! Did you tell anyone else about them?"

The change in blonds' demeanour truly caught the older man off guard and he gaped like a dying fish trying form a coherent sentence to answer the blonds question. The sudden prickly attitude was very unlike the Naruto he knew and that fact bothered him immensely.

"I don't understand... why does it matter if I know about them."

"Because you're not meant to... No one is. Shit..."

Naruto's tone was distressed and Kakashi could sense the worry rolling off him in waves. The blond stood and began to pace under the tree until finally his frustration boiled over into a physical assault. The tree hadn't stood a chance and it buckled under the force of the chakra enhanced blow. The silver haired man coyly cocked an eyebrow at his student who merely glared in response.

"First all this shit with Iruka-Nii and now the mites are in danger too this is really turning into a fucking fantastic week."

Kakashi's mind back pedalled "Why are the mites in danger?"

"Use your head baka! Why do you think?" Naruto snarled a flash of crimson in his eyes.

The Jounin thought for a second and then frowned "They're not just orphans are they, they're runaways."

Naruto nodded and Kakashi's frown deepened, runaways were akin to missing-nin . The orphanages in Konoha were surprisingly efficient at keeping tabs on ninja children and with good reason. It wouldn't do for a chakra filled child to be allowed on the loose with no supervision, it would be utter chaos as Naruto had time and time again proved throughout his youth. But he'd also heard about the conditions said children were kept in and could understand the children's reasoning for not wanting to stay. They were certainly efficient but not very kind to say the very least.

"They have a small encampment outside the village walls. Iruka-Nii made a safe way for them and only them to get in, they don't mean any trouble but..."

Naruto didn't need to finish the sentence Kakashi understood wholeheartedly. Luckily for him he'd already been a Chunnin when his father had died and therefore able to support himself, he couldn't imagine the squalor that the children were forced to live in.

"Naruto you have my word no one else knows or will know. At least not from me."

The blond seemed to calm at his words and looked a little ashamed at his outburst.

"I'm sorry sensei, I guess with everything that has been going on I overreacted a little. I should have known you wouldn't have said anything."

"It's all right Naruto."

"But I'm still curious as to how you found out about them. There are wards around the house to prevent eavesdroppers."

Kakashi looked uncomfortable and scratched the back of his head, he had been caught completely red handed. But he didn't feel right withholding the truth from the blond, after all he had just been graced with one of the blond most carefully guarded secrets.

"This is going to take some explaining..."

The Jounin quickly explained to Naruto about his little adventure whilst he had been unconscious. The blonds blue eyes went very round as the information filtered into his brain and he began to understand just what Kakashi was saying. He gasped when the silver haired man told him about the other side of Iruka's persona and grief registered plainly on his face.

"I had no idea it was that bad." The words were choked with sorrow.

"No one did, it's not as if we could jump inside his brain. It was just sheer luck and coincidence that I chose to follow him but I don't regret it for a second."

The words had a strange effect on the jinchuuriki, he stilled very suddenly as though deep in though. His brow furrowed and then suddenly relaxed as the memory came to him. The blond stared at Kakashi and pointed a finger at him in a seemingly accusing manner.

"You!"

The silver haired man looked confused "Wha... I haven't done anything. At least I don't think I have."

"No, I mean you. I think I know how to help Iruka-Nii."

Kakashi quirked his brow still utterly baffled by the blonds statement. "How I can help?"

"Gah... Why didn't I think of this before I'm such an idiot."

"Naruto this isn't something I say often but you've lost me."

"Your Sharingan, it can allow you to access people's minds... Sasuke... He did it to me and saw the Kyubbi. He bypassed every mental safeguard and made it into the deepest part of my mind. I'm sure you could do it as well, if you really focused."

"Naruto... What makes you think I can get past Iruka's safeguards? If Yamanaka-san couldn't break through..."

"I don't know but we have to try, you can't just abandon him."

The words felt like a slap across the face and the Jounin narrowed his eyes. How could Naruto say he was abandoning Iruka? He was just being practical, Inoichi was a master of mind control jutsu if could wrest Iruka's psyche into place then what chance did he have? Especially since it was something he hadn't really tried before, sure he had extracted memories and the like before but he had never truly delved into someone's unconscious mind.

But...

But maybe that was where Inoichi was going wrong. Maybe he was trying too hard to gain access and Iruka's psyche saw it as an assault, perhaps if he took a more subtle approach to his investigating he wouldn't be rejected. It was just crazy enough that it might work.

"Okay Naruto, let's try it then but you'll need to keep watch while I do it."

Naruto saluted enthusiastically. "Yes Sensei."

Both men flashed through a series of hand signs and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

They reappeared a few seconds later just outside the hospital, just under the room in which Iruka was staying while not at the T and I building. The two ninja looked at one another before walking up the wall and clambering through the window. Kakashi shuddered at once again being present in the loathsome place but quickly turned his attention to the man lying unconscious on the bed. Iruka was very still and looked very pale, his dark hair splayed across the pristine pillow like a shadow. If the silver haired man hadn't known any better he would have sworn that the man was dead, it was only the steady rising of the brunette's chest that offered anything to the contrary.

Naruto fidgeted nervously eyes darting around the quiet room, the stillness of the place clearly disturbing him. Kakashi sighed and moved to the edge of the bed his sure movements hiding his unease at the situation. There were so many things that could go wrong and so little that could go right, but he had to take a chance like Iruka had with him. He signalled to Naruto that he was ready to begin his attempt and the blond moved to his side ready to support him any way he could.

"If I'm not awake by dawn go and get Inoichi. That's an order Naruto." The Jounin's voice was deadly serious.

Naruto nodded in agreement and whispered "Good luck Sensei."

Kakashi took a deep breath and closed his eyes focusing chakra into the Sharingan, he felt the orb spin beneath his eye lid and then slowly he opened it exposing it to the world. Heat exploded and the last thing the silver haired man remembered was falling backwards into a pair of strong arms before the world went black.

Mismatched eyes flickered open and looked up at the sky above, except that it wasn't really the sky. It was more a mass of distorted colour mimicking the sky and the more Kakashi watched the more nauseated he felt. Blinking away the sickness and impending headache the Jounin clambered to his feet and took in his surroundings which were familiar and at the same time completely foreign to him. He scratched his head and resisted the urge to chuckle as he recognised the central building, of course Iruka would be holed up in the academy eternally the teacher. Kakashi walked forward to the large double doors that marked the entrance, feeling uneasy as the world around him seemed to shift with his every movement. He reached out and tried to open the entrance and was unsurprised to find them locked tight. Across the surface of the doors there were numerous burns, scrapes and dints, remnants of Inoichi's attempts to gain access.

Kakashi frowned, if he knew anything about Iruka it was that the man was tricky and smart, and was very often underestimated by those around him. However he could not see the brunette leaving only one way in or out of his psyche, he would have a back door somewhere. Slowly the Jounin wandered around the grounds keeping a careful eye out for any traps littered about the place, it wouldn't do for him to get caught so early on in his mission. All the windows were blacked out making it impossible for him to look and see what was happening inside. Carefully Kakashi combed every inch looking for some clue, some tiny inconsistency that would show him the way inside and he was just about ready to give up when he spotted it from the corner of his eye.

It was so small, that unless you were really looking for it or were just damned lucky you wouldn't spot it. Carved into the side of one of the window ledges was the kanji for 'keyhole', Kakashi gently brushed his fingers along it and funnelled a small amount of chakra into the symbol. It glowed a soft blue and a number of glyphs expanded from it over the rest of the ledge and under the pane and the unmistakable 'click' of a lock opening could be heard. Grinning to himself the Jounin lifted up the window and quickly hopped inside.

Once again the world tilted as the darkness dissipated once again leaving the silver haired man in somewhat familiar surroundings. Iruka's classroom loomed around him but it wasn't the friendly room he remembered watching, with no outside light the shadows took a sinister turn but that was nothing compared to the rooms occupants. Sat behind the each of the desk were what Kakashi assumed to be Iruka's students but it was hard to tell due to the fact that their faces were completely blank and featureless. They looked more like dolls and their lifeless forms really creeped the copy-nin out. Deciding to ignore the foreboding feeling running down his spine Kakashi moved forward.

He instantly realised his mistake.

The second he moved the golem like students sprang to life and moved to block his exit from the room. Kakashi growled under his breath, he really didn't have time for this. He adopted an offensive stance and palmed kunai in both hands. The students retaliated with weapons of their own and moved en masse to attack. The Jounin dodged the first wave of the physical assault leaping from desk to desk as they hurled projectiles and simple jutsu his way. Growing ever more frustrated Kakashi knew he needed to end this quickly, he was working with a limited time span as it was. Still dancing gracefully around their attacks he gathered chakra in his palm, blue white light crackled and spat as it formed a familiar shape.

"Wolf Raikiri!"

The chakra wolf roared through the classroom incapacitating the golems with ease. They fell one on top of the other and the pile up Kakashi was reminded of missions he'd rather forget. Pushing aside the disturbing thoughts the silver haired man pushed through the throng and made his way to the classroom door. He pushed it open and fled into the corridor, not before slamming it shut behind him. Kakashi gave a sigh of relief and placed his forehead against the door before turning around and freezing. Every door down the desolate corridor had blank, lifeless faces peeking from around the door frames, knowing he was vastly outnumbered the silver haired man did the only thing he could do.

He ran.

He sprinted down the corridor at top speed, blades whirling as the faceless children descended upon him. He dodged and weaved, leapt and ducked but most importantly kept on moving forward. Kakashi only dared look back once and instantly wished he hadn't, the children had formed into something resembling a humanoid wave crashing through the paper thin walls and rapidly closing in on their target. As he ran faster and further through the tangling mess of corridors he noticed the slowly changing surroundings. Gone were the light wooden walls and in their place was a rotting mess riddled with mould, the stench of decay lingering in the air. It seemed as if the wave had more purpose than as a weapon of destruction, it was forcing him to take a very specific path. Every time Kakashi tried to deviate an offshoot would bar his way and force him back into the darkening corridors.

Suddenly the horrific sound of bodies crashing together halted and the Jounin paused in his stride to briefly look around. The mass of bodies had come to a complete stop and had boxed off the end of corridor Kakashi was standing in seemingly hesitant to press further. Leaving the silver haired man no other way to go but forward. Senses on high alert the Jounin pushed onwards ready to react to the slightest movement, but there was none the corridor remained completely silent and still.

The further he walked down the dark corridor the more uneasy Kakashi began to feel. The flickering fluorescent lights sputtered briefly before dying and plunged the passageway into utter blackness, blinding the copy-nin briefly. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light streaming from the gaps of the closed doorway just in front of him. Kakashi approached the doorway and felt a shudder wrack his frame as his eyes focused on the ghastly apparition. The door looked truly revolting, the steel was stained, warped and crawling with god knows what and the silver haired man shuddered as he reached for the handle.

As his hand touched the cool metal a ripple of _something_ coursed through his body and Kakashi just about resisted the urge to pull away. Shaking away his momentary lapse he pulled open the heavy door, the hinges screaming with the strain and stepped forward into the darkness.

Once again the world spun around him as the darkness receded and Kakashi found himself standing in what appeared to be the upper level of a... gymnasium? The grey eye narrowed as he took in his surroundings and eventually his gaze landed on his reason for being there and Kakashi's breath caught in his chest.

Kneeling on the ground, bloody, bruised, and utterly fatigued, arms stretched out and bound tightly to the balcony was Iruka. The Jounin's stomach flipped violently as he rushed forward and attempted to untie the man but the bonds refused to budge, this didn't make any sense how had the brunette ended up in such a state? This was supposed to be Iruka's psyche, his protected place and something here didn't quite add up.

"Iruka, Iruka look at me."

Glazed brown eyes looked up and then weakly dropped back to the floor. "No... please no more... Please... Leave me alone."

"Iruka listen to me you need to break free and wake up."

"Oh I don't think he'll be doing that."

The new voice caused Kakashi to jump and spin around, behind him two figures had appeared. The first was vaguely familiar his shoulder length silver hair hanging loosely across his face and lips quirked up in a sadistic grin.

"Mizuki." The Jounin growled clenching his fist.

He then turned his attention to the rooms other occupant.

The second figure caused Kakashi's mouth to fall open as his gaze met a familiar mismatched one. The silver haired man eyed his white clad doppelganger with undisguised shock.

How...

On...

Earth...

"Ah, so the other one finally shows up." The duplicate sneered, his white armour glowing in the faint light.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel disturbed as his own voice twisted with cruelty filtered through his ears. Mizuki laughed at his reaction, the sound sickening and the his smirk crossing his face took on demonic proportions.

"What's the matter Hatake, cat got your tongue? Or is it a dolphin?" He taunted.

"What have you done to him." Kakashi snarled.

Mizuki's eyes widened innocently "Me...? I haven't done anything, I'm just a figment of his imagination."

"Bullshit, no figment should have enough power to trap the original. What are you?"

The man brushed the long silver strands from his face and shrugged nonchalantly clearly tiring of the conversation.

"Kill him."

The 'shing' of a blade being drawn once again alerted Kakashi to his doppelgangers presence and he drew his Kunai close to his chest in a defensive gesture and quickly pulled up his hitai-ate exposing the Sharingan. The Anbu version of himself just laughed and licked the edge of the glowing chakra blade through the dark navy mask.

"With pleasure."

The two of them moved so quickly they could barely be seen with the naked eye. Sparks flew as their blades clashed, the resonance of metal upon metal echoing through the large empty hall. Kakashi growled menacingly as the white clad man just laughed maniacally, they were both evenly matched in skill and speed. This was going to be a long drawn out battle. The silver haired man flashed through a series of hand signs and melted into the ground hoping to sneak up on his opponent, however the other man was not falling for it. A chakra filled fist slammed through the ground and caught Kakashi by the scruff of his neck and the world turned on its head as he was hauled upwards through the wooden floor. Dangling by his throat the Jounin stared down into a raving mad pair of eyes and felt himself shudder, was this what his enemies saw when he was fighting? A wraith cloaked in white soaked in blood and chakra? The mad eyes turned upwards in a mocking smirk.

"Really? That's what you come up with? I expected so much better..." The words were drawn out and condescending.

Kakashi growled and kicked out at the clone catching him off guard, the white clad man bent over wheezing slightly but still the smirk had not left his face.

"That's a bit more like it." The condescending tone had vanished and had been replaced with a deep hunger and blood lust.

The two sprinted toward one another again and engaged in a furious battle. Limbs were flying everywhere gracefully arcing the weapons they held in a deadly dance, both men dangerously aware of how close the blades were. Every blow was parried, every jutsu countered and every move choreographed for maximum effectiveness. The flurried attacks continued but neither figured gained any ground on his opponent, they were at a stalemate yet they both refused to give up.

Across the room Mizuki sat next to the bound Iruka watching the fight with interest.

"You know you should really watch this Iruka, it's actually quite entertaining."

The brunette didn't reply his will utterly destroyed but the brutal treatment he had been subjected to, it was taking everything he had to remain conscious at this point. The silence seemed to annoy the other man and he grasped Iruka's hair at the roots and forced the wearied head up.

"You will watch!" He snarled "Watch as your precious copy-nin is destroyed by a figment of your own imagination."

As the words took purchase in Iruka's mind the brown eyes widened, lucidity finally starting to return. The bound man finally noticed that there was more than one Kakashi and he felt the shock crash into his system.

"H-How..." He managed to croak out weakly.

Mizuki grasped harder slightly tearing the hair at the roots "He came in after you."

"You mean..." Iruka's voice began to gain strength

"Yes one of them is the real Kakashi Hatake."

"But w-why?"

The green eye glistened evilly "Why do you think Iruka-kun? To kill you of course."

"N-no..."

"I always said you'd be mine and now you can be in here, I'll protect you from the outside world... Keep you nice and safe from those who wish to harm you. My pathetic little koi."

A pale hand roughly stroked across Iruka's cheek and it took all of the tanned mans willpower not to flinch at the touch.

"Such a pathetic, useless being but I'm here and you will remain mine. There is nothing you can do about it." Mizuki cooed.

Mocha coloured eyes suddenly lost their shine, fading to dead and it enthralled the silver haired man to see it. He began to let his free hand wander and he pushed his fingers into one of the many open wounds elicited a sharp hiss from the Chunnin. White teeth shone as lips pulled backwards in more of a snarl than a smile.

"That's it koi, scream for me."

Across the room Kakashi heard the hiss and the moment of distraction cost him dearly. His doppelganger lunged forward chakra blade glowing white hot and pierced Kakashi's exposed shoulder. The jounin bit back a scream of pain as the metal slid through his flesh forcing him backwards with a great deal of force, his back and the base of his skull hit the wall and the silver haired man grunted as pain shot through his neck and spine. The white clad man smiled maniacally as he lifted his clawed hand to Kakashi's masked face, cooing as he dragged a sharp finger down the cloth covered cheek splitting the fabric and leaving a glaring red mark in its wake.

"Shall we see how much more you can bleed?"

It still sent a shudder down the copy-nin's spine to hear his own voice sounding so twisted, so _evil_ and he glared at the monstrosity before him.

"I'm not the one who s going to bleed. You are!"

The air literally burned around Kakashi's palm as he thrust it forward into the doppelgangers face. The Anbu shrieked as the skin began to rapidly blister and he let his grip on the blade slip as he stumbled backwards away from the other man. With an extreme effort Kakashi reached up and slowly withdrew the weapon from his wounded shoulder gritting his teeth as he pulled. The sword felt so balanced and right in his grip and the silver haired man sent a flash of chakra up the blade causing it to glow even brighter than when the doppelganger had held it. With a grim smile and narrowed eyes the Jounin moved forward faster than he had ever moved before the chakra blade nothing but a streak of light in the darkened room.

The world seemed to slow to a halt as the sword connected with the sinewy flesh of the white clad mans neck, the sharpened edge moving through the bone and muscle like a hot knife through butter. The spray of blood hit Kakashi square across the chest and face, the acrid tang filtering up his nostrils overwhelming his senses.

Oh how he loathed the smell of blood.

The headless body of the doppelganger fell to the floor with a thud before dissipating into wisps of ash and smoke right before Kakashi's eyes, in his hand the chakra blade also began to vanish in swirls of blue white dust. Utterly exhausted and bleeding heavily from the wounds Kakashi fell to his knees grasping his injured shoulder tightly in a hope to stem the flow of blood. Across the room Mizuki rose to his feet and began to applaud in a sarcastic manner, moving toward the copy-nin malice radiating of him.

"Bravo Hatake, bravo. I honestly didn't think you had it in you to kill yourself in cold blood."

Kakashi felt fury rage through his system, the adrenalin giving his body a new lease of life. Shakily he rose to his feet and met Mizuki's stare.

"That was not me."

A strained smile crossed Mizuki's face and it looked ghastly on the worn features.

"Of course not Hatake" the voice was laden with sarcasm "It was just a representation of how you are perceived by certain _people_."

The words did not miss their intended target and Kakashi felt his heart ache. Was that how Iruka truly saw him? As some crazed killer, hell bent on destruction and high on blood lust? He knew as soon as the thought hit his mind that it wasn't, the tender way the brunette had spoken to him while unconscious, the way it had torn him up some much to know that he was going to die. If Iruka hadn't believed that Kakashi was essentially a good person then he wouldn't have bothered with such kindness. The other man understood that he had to do bad things as part of his profession but that the things he was required to do did not make up who he was.

"You're lying and by the way you are terrible at it. Iruka knows me better than that."

The smile turned into a snarl. "It won't matter whether I'm lying or not in a few minutes."

Kakashi went to retort but as he opened his mouth to speak a hacking cough racked his frame and the coppery tang of his own blood rested on his tongue.

Poisoned...

Of course the blade had to be poisoned.

"You bastard." The Jounin croaked.

"Of course I am, Iruka is mine and he is not leaving this place. There is nothing you or that idiot blond waiting outside can do about it. Face it Hatake you've lost and now you'll never leave this place."

Kakashi could feel his limbs begin to go numb and he turned his gaze to the battered brunette across the floor. The previously blank face had become twisted in anger, more anger than the Jounin had ever seen and made his breath catch in awe.

"Iruka..."

The brunette seemed to glow with fury as he struggled against his bonds.

"Mizuki you son of a bitch leave him and Naruto out of this. This is between you and me!"

The silver haired man seemed shocked at the challenge and turned around to face Iruka.

"Well well, someone finally decided to grow a set."

"Mizuki I swear..."

"You swear what? You're in my domain, you have no power here!"

Kakashi felt hope flare in his chest, finally the man was starting to fight back perhaps there was a chance for this to turn out for right after all. Mustering all his strength the Jounin called out.

"He's lying Iruka, this is your mind you have all the control."

Brown eyes focused and hardened like steel, once again Iruka struggled against the bonds holding him but this time they snapped as though they were made of cotton. He slowly rose to his feet and glared at Mizuki and the silver haired man froze on the spot. Quick as lightning the brunette had covered the distance between them and had grabbed the silver haired man by the throat.

"WHO ARE YOU!"

"I'm Mizuki!"

"WRONG ANSWER!" Iruka's grip tightened "WHO ARE YOU!"

The silver haired man let out a strangled gasp as the tanned hand slowly crushed his windpipe and then before both Kakashi and Iruka's eyes he began to change form. Silver hair tuned brown and the features contorted into something disturbingly familiar but at the same time not, Iruka gasped in shock and let the being drop to the floor his skin crawling with revulsion.

"I'm you."

The being opened his eyes and instead of Iruka's warm chocolate coloured orbs there was nothing but black and as the brunette stared into the inky depths he could feel his soul being devoured. The dark eyed Iruka quickly took advantage of the other mans shock and ploughed forward, forcing the other brunette backwards toward the edge of the balcony. The two men hit the rail and tumbled over, regaining his senses Iruka grabbed hold of the metal bar and clung on for dear life, while his opaque eyed double grabbed on to his legs and was pulling incessantly willing him to fall.

Kakashi had seen the two men go flying over the edge and his eyes had widened in horror. Mustering all the strength he had clambered to his feet and staggered to the rail looking over for any sign of the other two men. When he looked down at where the gymnasium floor should have been Kakashi felt his gut twist and head spin at the sight before him. A swirling vortex of total blackness was beneath his feet and it was devouring the bits of debris that were falling in from the dilapidated ceiling. His eyes caught sight of Iruka holding tightly to the rail and he moved quickly toward him, extending his good hand.

"Iruka! Give me your hand."

The brunette looked up a panic stricken look on his face. "I can't... too heavy." He grunted with the strain.

Beneath them both the double cackled "Do you really trust him Iruka... You know why he's really here even though you won't admit it!"

"Shut up, shut up SHUT UP!" Indecision clouded Iruka's mind and the doubt was written across his face.

"I won't, I won't, I WON'T" The dark eyed being sang "Because you know I'm right!"

"You're not!"

"You're so pathetic and weak it makes me sick, I'm surprised you don't just drop out of stupidity. I mean you haven't even figured out what part of you I am yet."

The dark eyes widened as the double realised that it had said to much and Iruka's brow furrowed in concentration.

"What part of me...? So you are only one part of my psyche."

"No... No I am all of you!" The voice was beginning to sound desperate.

"He's lying again Iruka, you are so much more than this twisted being clinging on to you for dear life." Kakashi said, still offering his hand to the brunette.

The confused brown eyes suddenly seemed to clear and he nodded to the Jounin. He suddenly began shifting his legs in attempt to dislodge the dead weight clinging onto him, the being scrabbled at the pants screaming bloody murder and threatening both men. After realising that his cries were falling on deaf ears he tried a different tactic.

"You _need_ me. I was only trying to protect you."

"By imprisoning and torturing me!" Iruka snarled his infamous temper igniting "And correction it is _you_ who needs _me_ and I don't think I want to hear your whining voice anymore!"

With one final movement the brunette managed to snake one of his legs free and delivered a short, sharp kick to the face of the double sending him hurtling into the blackness below. A long drawn out scream bounced off the wooden walls and was quickly swallowed as the being was engulfed by the vortex. Without the extra weight around his ankles Iruka was quickly able to clamber back up onto the balcony with Kakashi's assistance, the Jounin however pulled a little too hard and sent them both sprawling into a somewhat compromising position.

Both men flushed red and quickly extracted themselves from one another.

Kakashi began hacking again the blood clearly visible through his mask, he was running out of time and fast. Seeing the state of the Jounin Iruka rushed to his side and offered what little assistance he could.

"You need to leave Hatake-san."

Kakashi shook his head "Not without you..."

"That's sweet but what is out there for me? As soon as I wake up I'm going to be locked up in a mental ward somewhere, isolated from everyone I care about."

Again the silver haired man shook his head another cough exploding through his chest. "N-Not... Gonna happen... Won't let it."

"Why would you risk that for me? I've caused you nothing but trouble."

"L-love you..."

Kakashi could feel himself getting weaker, but he didn't miss how the other mans eyes went very, very wide at the statement.

"Please don't joke with me. You barely _know_ me Hatake-san, how can you _love _me?"

"K-know you better than you think. I saw everything, when I was unconscious I saw everything. The tenderness toward me, Naruto and the mites, the utter agony you were going through to see me dying, the stubbornness you showed by disobeying Tsunade-sama and the fire and passion that everyone saw when you kicked the Jounin into place completely drunk off your head. How could I _not_ fall in love.

"How... do..."

"I wasn't unconscious, well my body was. My consciousness was separate and I saw everything going on around me."

Iruka had gone very still while he processed the information a mixture of shock, horror and hope etched across his features. Slowly he raised his gaze and his eyes met Kakashi's mismatched ones a bright blush colouring his cheeks.

"You saw everything?"

The Jounin smirked as he caught on to the meaning of those words.

"Yes."

The blushed covered Iruka's entire face and it looked as if he was about to die with embarrassment.

"And I very much liked what I saw." Kakashi replied a teasing lilt in his voice.

"PERVERT!"

The silver haired man laughed at the brunette's affronted tone but it quickly ended as he began choking on the blood that was working its way up his throat. Instantly Iruka's embarrassment faded and he was quickly back to his professional self.

"You need to leave Hatake-san."

"A-are you coming...?"

There was a moment of tense silence then finally the brunette responded "Yes."

Kakashi smiled "Good because I'd hate to come back here again. Your mental safeguards are absolutely evil."

Iruka rolled his eyes "Yeah, whatever I think you're just getting rusty Hatake-san."

"Ah, you wound me."

"Want me to kiss it better?"

The tone was joking but Kakashi would be damned if he wasn't going to take advantage of such an open invitation. He quickly pulled down his mask and planted his lips against the soft ones above him. It took a moment or two for Iruka's shock to wear off but eventually he began to kiss back, clearly relishing the feel of Kakashi's lips on his. They only parted when another wave of coughing hit the silver haired man.

"Go quickly" Iruka murmured.

Kakashi nodded and focused his remaining chakra into his Sharingan, the mangekyo swirled for a moment and then the silver haired man disappeared from the room. Iruka sighed and rose to his feet, striding toward the warped steel door with a purposeful step. He gripped the disgusting handle and flung open the doors allowing bright light to spill into the darkened room illuminating it instantly. Taking one more deep breath he stepped forward and let himself be engulfed by the light.

Unfocussed brown eyes flew open and then closed again quickly as they adjusted to the natural light in the room. Admittedly there wasn't much the sun's rays were just beginning to peak over the horizon but it was enough to cause Iruka some discomfort. After a few minutes the brunette tried again and opened his eyes to an empty hospital room.

Or so he thought.

A groan of discomfort emanated from the floor to his right and Iruka craned his stiff body over the edge of the bed to find the source of the noise. The desolate feeling of waking up to an empty room vanished instantly as the brunette caught sight of a clearly uncomfortable Hatake Kakashi curled up on the floor next to his bed, nursing what had to be a killer headache. Completely oblivious to his own discomfort Iruka jumped out of the hospital bed and knelt down beside the Jounin.

"Hatake-san, Hatake-san. Are you okay!"

"I would be a lot better if you weren't shouting. I'm right next to you."

The brunette flushed "I'm sorry Hatake-san..."

"Kakashi."

Iruka looked confused "Huh?"

"Kakashi, it's my name. I'm sick of hearing you call me 'Hatake-san' Iruka, call me Kakashi."

The blush deepened "If you insist Ha.. Kakashi."

Their conversation was interrupted as the door flung inwards admitting a worried looking Naruto, but upon seeing both of his teachers awake and in one piece a wide grin spread across the blonds features and he barrelled toward the two of them.

"Iruka-Nii!" He screamed whilst throwing himself at the brunette in a hug tackle.

Iruka didn't even attempt to defend himself against the assault and gripped tightly to the enthusiastic blond.

"Hey Naruto, do you mind keeping it down we are in a hospital here."

Naruto's expression didn't change but he lowered his voice a few notches. "Thank Kami you're okay. I..."

"I'm sorry Naruto, seems us old timers have been giving you a hard time recently." Iruka smiled softly and ruffled the blond locks.

"It's all right, just don't do it again. I'm sick of being in this hospital!"

The three men sprawled on the floor all burst out laughing at the comment and the sense of melancholy that had been hovering around all of them seemed to vanish in that very instant. Kakashi felt a wave of genuine happiness wash over him as he smiled at his student and his hopefully soon to be partner. As if reading his mind cerulean orbs locked onto him and Naruto raised a golden eyebrow in an obvious question.

'_Does he know?'_

Kakashi smiled and nodded happily in response, the Jounin hadn't thought that the jinchuuriki's smile could get any brighter but at that simple nod of his head it was like a sun had exploded in the room. Iruka looked between the two men and just shrugged, simply happy to be with the two people he cared most about. Naruto quick got to his feet still smiling and moved toward the door.

"Um... I've got some stuff to do and I'm sure you've got stuff to talk about. I'll be back later when Baa-chan has finished with you."

And then he promptly fled the room leaving Kakashi and Iruka alone together. The two men quickly relocated from the floor to the slightly more comfortable bed, they sat slightly apart their hands slightly touching in the gap between their bodies.

"He's knows doesn't he?" Iruka asked not looking Kakashi in the face.

The Jounin grinned under his mask "Yes...We..er had a little chat before I went exploring your psyche."

"So everything you said in there..."

"It was all true, every last word."

"So you really did see me at my worst..."

"And your best. I don't think I've ever seen anything more wonderful than when you stood up for me."

The brunette's face went completely red at the compliment.

"I was just so angry and depressed, I lost control. It was the same when I kissed you that night, I was running on emotion... and alcohol."

"You know you saved me that night..."

The brown eyes went wide at the comment and he snorted depreciatingly "Yeah right... I didn't do anything. You woke up on your own, admittedly with the worst timing ever."

Kakashi shook his head and laced his fingers with the tanned digits next to him. "No _you_ brought me back, the power of your feelings for me made it possible for me to get back. It sounds weird but it's the way the jutsu I was hit with works. I owe you my life Umino Iruka."

No more words were spoken as Kakashi moved in toward the other man and tenderly kissed him, Iruka still blushing madly kissed back moaning slightly. The Jounin was about to reach up and lower his mask to deepen the kiss when a loud thud startled both men from their activities. Two pairs of eyes went wide as they spied unconscious figure of their Hokage flat out on the floor a trickle of blood leaking from her nose.

"Oh God..." Iruka groaned burying his face in his hands, face beet red.

"Well I think it's safe to say she isn't mad at us anymore." Kakashi joked, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Iruka didn't say anything in response and just buried his face deeper into his palms, the situation really couldn't get worse.

"BAKASHI-SENSEI WHAT DID YOU DO TO TSUNADE-SENSEI!"

Okay maybe it could.

~The End~

A/N: It's FINISHED! OMG IT'S FINALLY FINISHED! I apologise for the slightly humorous ending, I just couldn't resist and I thought everyone could probably do without a cliff-hanger ending. ^_^ That and it sets the tone _perfectly_ for the epilogue lol! Which as usual is probably going to be late... *Glares at reality* So much for an uber birthday present T_T. I'll get it out as soon as I can

Anywho...I would like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed this fic, fav'd this fic, alerted this fic or just sat down and read a chapter or two. Your support has been absolutely amazing and it is because of you guys that this has gone as far as it has.


	16. Omake Epilogue

A/N: And so the end is near... It's hard to believe that this is the final chapter of 'Otherside', it seems like just yesterday when I thought 'screw it lets just write the damned thing' and roughly wrote the first chapter. I'm still utterly gob smacked by the absolutely overwhelming support I have received for this and I just wish words could convey the sheer joy, honour, privilege and accomplishment you guys have bestowed upon me with your kind words, constructive criticism and none too subtle threats for tardiness.

Oh wait... I just did *Laughs*

Anywho It has been a real joy to share this little idea with you all and I'm almost sad to see it end. The friends I've made over this little endeavour make it all worthwhile though (As I know they'll kick my ass if I keep them hanging.)

So after 15 chapters, 60,000+ words, 214 reviews, a shed load of fav's, alerts, hits and a ridiculously long authors note The-Lady-Smaell proudly presents the (real) final chapter of 'Otherside'.

To my Anon reviewers:

Ashley: Thanks for the review sweetie, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you enjoy this just as much.

Annie: I'm glad you thought the ending was cute thanks again for reviewing.

Omake Epilogue: Repercussions

The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon when the knock came at the door. Kakashi opened a bleary eye and raised his droopy head from its position on the couch arm rest, frowning deeply. The jounin shifted slightly and managed to get himself into a sitting position without moving too much, he was trying to avoid waking the sleeping man whose head was currently pillowed on his thigh. After being released from the hospital they had spent a rather pleasant day together just talking and getting to know one another a bit better, but eventually the stress of the days adventures had taken its toll on both men and they had succumbed to slumber, curling around one another on the battered couch. Kakashi smiled remembering how the brunette had fought to keep his eyes open, the gesture had been so childlike it made him want to laugh. A glimmer that beneath the darkness in both of them there was something still innocent and pure.

And the Jounin was determined to hold onto that for just a little while longer.

Now if the person knocking would just leave...

**Knock Knock!**

No such luck, the silver haired man sighed deeply as sleep crusted brown eyes fluttered open at the unwelcome noise. Iruka blinked into consciousness and a blush rose on his cheeks when he realised the somewhat compromising position he was in. Coughing in embarrassment he quickly righted himself and scrubbed a hand through his hair a sure sign of his nervousness as he eyed the other man. Kakashi couldn't resist the small chuckle that erupted from his throat at the brunette's antics and it caused the tanned man to frown slightly. Sensing he had touched a nerve the Jounin held his hands up in a gesture of surrender a gentle smile across his bared features. Iruka relaxed instantly his blush spreading across his face like wildfire as a small smile flitted across his lips.

**Knock Knock!**

The accursed noise came again causing both men's brows to furrow in annoyance.

"I'll get it." Kakashi said as he rose to his feet, pulling up his mask and padding toward the door before Iruka had time to protest.

He flung open the wooden receptacle, eyes narrowed into a glare for the unlucky recipient behind it daring to interrupt his off time. The Jounin's glare didn't lessen one jot when he recognised who was behind the door, although he hid his surprise well.

"Hokage-sama." The greeting was curt.

"Kakashi-san." It was replied with equal enthusiasm. "Is Iruka-san home? I need to speak with him, it's quite urgent."

Kakashi took in the slightly dishevelled state their leader was in, her hair was mussed as though she'd been clawing through it for most of the day and her honey coloured eyes had the look of someone who was bone tired. He let her through the door and watched the tentativeness in her step with amusement, it appeared that although the two had reconciled somewhat the previous day (after the Hokage had regained consciousness) Tsunade was still nervous in the teachers presence.

Noticing the blonde woman entering Iruka rose to his feet and bowed stiffly "Hokage-sama."

Tsunade waved her hand in a nonchalant fashion. "Please dispense with the formalities Iruka-san, I've had a hell of a day."

A brown eyebrow raised at the statement but the teacher remained silent and offered a seat to the Hokage. Tsunade gratefully accepted it, letting out a sigh of contentment as her body sank into the well used, comfortable cushions. She remained quiet for a moment before turning her tired gaze on the Chunnin.

"Wouldn't you like to know why I've had a hell of a day?"

It was a rhetorical question, both men knew it and held their silence knowing that Tsunade would eventually come to her point. The blonde flicked a stray piece of hair out of her eyes and continued talking.

"Well it all started of normal enough I woke up got dressed for the day and headed to my office, that is when thongs started to get... strange. I got to my office door and found a rather large mob of children barricaded in my office and _refusing_ to move."

Two sets of eyebrows rose in surprise and amusement but it appeared the Hokage hadn't finished her tale.

"When I asked them why they were there the replied and I quote Hyuga Hanabi 'We are here instigating a sit-in to protest the incarceration and terrible treatment of Iruka-sensei.' They then proceeded to start singing loudly and very badly for the next six hours, protesting in between each song. I had to conduct a council meeting in the bloody _corridor_, amidst that racket. I tried _everything_ even ANBU , three of whom got hospitalised due to the seals and traps set around the door, to get in but I could not get the door to open. I'm so sick of the Konoha academy song I think if I ever hear it again I am going to slit someone's throat."

Both Kakashi and Iruka stared at one another with wide eyes utterly stunned. They remained motionless for a few minutes before the brunette's lip quirked slightly as he tried to wrestle with his amusement, it was enough to set the Jounin off and Kakashi burst into laughter clutching his ribs as he laughed himself silly. Tsunade didn't look impressed and she glared at the Jounin.

"I don't know why you're laughing brat, this is all your fault!" The blonde snarled.

The silver haired man truly didn't care at this point he was revelling in the hazy rapture of pure hilarity and Iruka wasn't far behind him. Eventually the sheer insanity of the situation was just too much for the brunette to bear and he joined his partner in laughing his ass off at the unfortunate Hokage. After about ten minutes the two men managed to get their laughter under control, faces flushed and aching from the strenuous activity. They gave a sheepish look to the woman sitting across from them, whose face held a look reminiscent of a sulking child.

Suppressing a snigger Iruka cleared his throat "So what does this have to do with me Hokage-sama?"

"I want you to get them out of there, at this point in time I think you're the only person that they will listen to Iruka-san."

The brunette coughed hiding a chuckle and bowed his head respectfully. "As you wish Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded in response and rose to her feet readying herself to leave. "Thank you Iruka-san. I would like this task completed sooner rather than later."

She then left the apartment as quickly as she arrived muttering something about a 'shitload of sake' and Shizune just having to 'deal with it' tomorrow. As the door clicked shut behind her both men once again burst into peals of laughter, collapsing on the couch when their legs could no longer support their weight.

An hour later Iruka stood in front of his class, arms crossed against his chest and a look of ultimate disapproval gracing his face, before him sat twenty five abashed looking students and a gang of rather sheepish ex-students. After finally convincing them that it was indeed him and no he wasn't in any immediate danger they had quickly dropped the complex seal locking the door. Iruka groaned as he recognised the design, a ripple of pride and annoyance flashing through him. He knew he shouldn't have taught Hanabi his locking jutsu or Konohamaru those traps. Ah well, hindsight was a bitch but he still couldn't help but feel a little happy that the two of them had pulled them off so incredibly well. Rubbing his scar in amused exasperation he asked the question that had been plaguing him since this whole situation had been brought to his attention.

"How the hell did this all come about?"

In the front row Konohamaru grinned nervously and tugged on the ends of his scarf. Beside him Moegi and Udon just eyed their leader with a look that just screamed 'I told you so' but wisely decided to keep their comments to themselves, after all they were just as guilty in this little endeavour and now was certainly not the time to be assigning blame.

"Well you see Iruka-Sensei... It all started off like this..."

_Flashback_

_The village was very quiet as Konohamaru and his fellow squad members returned from their mission. It had been a relatively easy C-rank escort and it appeared that Kami-sama had been smiling on them as nothing had deigned to go wrong. However it had meant that they had been out of the village for a good week and the threesome couldn't have been more happy to be home._

_As per usual both Konohamaru and Udon escorted Moegi home first, her house being not far from the village gates. The approached the small abode in high spirits the three of them joking about what a pain in the ass their client had been and how good it was to be home. That was they were joking about until Konohamaru suddenly found himself catapulted to the floor by a flying tackle hug and a high pitched 'Kono-kun' screamed in his ear._

_The Sandaime's grandson grinned as he shook off his disorientation and patted the young girl currently perched on his lap on the head gently. The still standing Moegi glared at the brat on her teammates lap and folded her arms in a huff._

"_Hey there Nami-chan, what's up?"_

"_Manami get off him this instant, what have I told you about doing that to Konohamaru!" The Kunoichi's voice was firm._

_Normally Manami would stick out her tongue at her older sister and mutter something about Moegi being 'jealous', therefore sparking a row between the two siblings, but today she did nothing of the sort and it instantly set Konohamaru on edge. Something was wrong, very wrong._

"_Nami-chan?" He asked worry evident in his voice._

_Watery eyes looked out from a distraught face and big fat tears began to fall as the young girls lip quibbled. All three members of team 29 stared in shock, they had never seen the youngster cry before not even Moegi, Manami was more of a fighter that a crier._

"_Hey, hey Nami-chan what's going on?" Konohamaru was feeling more and more uncomfortable with the sobbing youngster in his lap._

_Manami hiccoughed "T-t-they're g-gonn-a k-kill I-Iruka-s-sensei."_

"_WHAT!" Three voices chorused aghast._

"_H-he didn't show up at the a-academy, s-so we a-all t-thought he was i-ill. He hadn't b-been looking very w-well for a-a while."_

_The three ex-academy students looked shocked, it was unheard of for Iruka-sensei to take time off. The man was __**never**__ ill, ever, Even when he'd been out on missions and half dead on his feet he dragged himself into class. Moegi, Udon and Konohamaru distinctly remembered that occasion well, after all they'd lead the chaos when the man had passed out at his desk. It had cost them a week's worth of detention and a serious chewing out when the man had come around but none of them could ever remember the Sensei ever taking a day off._

_It was strange._

_It was worrying._

_And it appeared Manami hadn't finished with her tale just yet._

"_T-then two days ago we h-had a trip to the missions office, t-to see that being a n-ninja isn't just about going on missions and H-Hatake-sama came in and started arguing with Hokage-sama. Hatake-s-sama s-said that H-Hokage-sama had accused I-Iruka-sensei of being a traitor. I-it was so scary... Both of them looked as if t-they were about to lose it. T-then Hokage-sama threw her desk against the wall and ordered us all out and we all ran."_

_The three elders looked completely horrified at the events and eyed each other warily. Konohamaru placed a comforting arm on Manami's shoulder and offered her a warm smile._

"_Don't worry Nami-chan, we'll get to the bottom of it."_

"_But..."_

"_I said we'll set Hokage-sama straight." Mischief echoed throughout Konohamaru's voice._

_Both Udon and Moegi looked at one another with a worried look they both knew that tone of voice far too well, it generally meant trouble was brewing and they were going to be stuck in the centre. Konohamaru stood and helped Manami to her feet, with a gentle pat on the shoulder he ushered the young girl inside and turned to his teammates._

"_Guys I have an idea..."_

_Moegi shook her head "Why do I have a bad feeling about this..."_

_The brunette shrugged "Don't be like that Moegi... Since when do I have bad ideas?"_

_Udon laughed bitterly "All the time... Or don't you remember that time when you thought the client was an enemy spy."_

"_Just a misunderstanding..."_

"_Or that time when you thought we'd be able to sneak into the meeting using the sexy-no-jutsu." Moegi countered._

"_But that worked..."_

"_Until one of the drunk guards took a shine to Udon and decided to try his luck."_

_Konohamaru just shrugged again and folded his arms across his chest in a sulk, both teammates sighed at their leaders antics clearly used to the little tantrums by now._

"_Fine so I make mistakes now and then, I don't see __**you**__ coming up with any idea's."_

"_Any idea's for what?"_

_The three miscreants turned around at the question eyes wide at being caught and spun around to meet their accuser. Dark eyes met pale lavender narrowed in disapproval and Konohamaru gaped a little as he was stared down by Hyuga Hanabi. _

"_Er..." The young Sarutobi murmured unintelligently._

_The dark haired girl snorted softly at the reaction "I hope you are not causing mischief again or I will have to report you to the Hokage."_

_At the mention of the village leader the trio's eyes hardened and all three of them became stony faced, Hanabi didn't miss the change and felt herself becoming confused._

"_What's wrong?" She asked._

"_What's been going on while we've been away?" Konohamaru answered, finding his voice._

_The confusion on the Hyuga's face deepened "Nothing that I know of."_

_The three looked at one another and frowned, it appeared that what Manami had told them was clearly being kept under wraps because the young Sarutobi was sure that Hanabi would have been the first to know. Information gathering was one of her specialties and they were sure if it involved Iruka-sensei then she would have itching to know._

_She had taken a shine to their teacher back in the academy, they all had. Iruka didn't just see the ninja to be he saw the person underneath and he tried to nurture the humanity in them as much as the ninja unlike a number of the other sensei._

"_You're not going to like this" The brunette's voice was like a death sentence._

_Twenty minutes later Hanabi had dragged the reluctant threesome into the nearest cafe eyes flashing and radiating malicious intent. Her reaction to the news had been slightly unexpected and her willingness to help with 'the plan' had been even more shocking. Konohamaru grinned at his friends, maybe they would be able to do something after all..._

_End Flashback._

"...So that pretty much leads us up to now. We got together your class and some of our peers and made a march on the Hokage's office." Hanabi finished, arms crossed stiffly against her chest.

Iruka couldn't help but gape at the youngsters before him. He felt a warmth that he hadn't felt in a long time flow through him, heating him from head to toe. The brunette had initially found it hard to believe that they had really gone to such lengths for his sake, but faced with the irrefutable evidence before him had no reason to not believe it.

A sly grin crossed the teachers face and the youngsters before him shuddered. He pointed to himself before quickly making a sign with his hand that all of the students current and former recognised, the sign language for the word 'pretend'. Eyes narrowed in confusion as they stared at their sensei. Iruka quickly made a few more signs.

'_Just play along.'_

Now the students really were bamboozled but the confusion was short lived as Iruka opened his mouth and yelled at the top of his voice.

"What on earth were you thinking!"

He winked at his students and flipped through yet more sign language, suddenly grateful for including it on the curriculum.

'_Thank you. I appreciate what you did.'_

The students grinned mischievously catching on to his previous message.

"But.. But.." Konohamaru whined just holding back a smirk.

"No buts, how could you possibly think this is the right way to go about something!"

There was a manic grin on Iruka's face as his hands wove he next part of his message.

'_I'm really impressed with what you did, those seals and traps were fantastic. Do you know you took out three ANBU with them?"_

There was a unilateral shaking of heads.

'_You did and I couldn't be prouder to have such a resourceful, loyal group of students. You are or will be fine Konoha ninja._

"Now I want you to get out of this office right now and go home before I decide to hand out my _special_ detentions."

A collective gasp of faked horror echoed through the room and the brunette flashed through the last part of his message.

'_Thank you again. Now get out of here before Hokage-sama __**really**__ gets mad and remember to look traumatised.'_

The congregation didn't need to be told twice and they quickly vacated the office, screaming and crying as well as any famous actor. Iruka followed them out a look of triumph on his face and a vindictive smirk on his lips. Outside the office the gathering of Chunnin and Jounin looked at the fleeing children and then at the smirking man following close on their heels. They took one look at his face and quaked in fear slowly backing away. Inwardly Iruka did a happy dance of evil glee, it was good to be back.

The brunette left the tower feeling a hundred, thousand times better than he had in a while. There were still a few lingering pieces of darkness and he knew that they would never fully disappear but they were controllable and that would do for the time being. Iruka walked down the Konoha high street content and happy and began debating what he was going to have for dinner. He was just passing through the market and his stomach growled loudly as the smell of food hit his nose. The brunette ambled over to the vegetable stall and began rummaging through the various produce remembering that Kakashi had said he liked egg plant. He had just found a particularly ripe one when a cold voice called over his shoulder.

"Oh look it's the little fag."

Iruka's blood froze in his veins as the familiar voice washed over him. He turned slowly and brown eyes met a puffy and heavily bruised face, the swollen lips curled into a sinister grin. It was the Jounin he had laid into at the bar and the brunette felt a quiver of dread ripple through his stomach. The Jounin's grin turned feral and he advanced.

"Fancy meeting you here?" The familiar phrase sounding twisted with the malice present in the man's voice.

Iruka glared at the slightly larger man and refused to give an inch. He knew he was dangerously outmatched, in the bar he'd had the element of surprise and intoxication on his side, here, now completely sober and aware the brunette knew he didn't stand a chance against the other man.

And the other man knew it too.

He carefully slid a hand around Iruka's bicep and squeezed the muscle tightly, causing him to drop the vegetable clutched in his hand as pain flared through his arm.

"I think you and me need to have a little _talk_." The voice was soft as silk and deadly sounding.

The brunette nodded dumbly eyes still narrowed in a frightful glare, he knew it was pointless fighting at this point, he had to pick his moment to strike carefully otherwise he would be just leading himself into an even earlier grave. The Jounin dragged Iruka into a small hidden away alleyway and the second they were out of sight the man threw the teacher against the wall, pulling a kunai from his holster and pressing it against the tanned throat.

"Do you have _any idea what you've cost me._"

Iruka could well imagine what he'd cost the other man and quite frankly he didn't care, the pompous ass had had it coming to him. However he chose to keep that particular thought to himself not wanting to spur any _unpredictable_ movement from the Jounin. The man in question continued to rant.

"I have been the _laughing stock of Konoha_ because of _you_. I can't show my face _anywhere_, my reputation is _ruined_."

The brunette once again resisted the urge to speak his mind because telling someone that their 'reputation couldn't be ruined if they didn't have one to begin with' whilst having a sharp blade pressed against their throat was not considered a smart thing to do.

"So now I'm going to mess you up like you messed things up for me."

The glint in the Jounin's eye was manic and Iruka took as deep a breath as he could knowing that his moment to act was about to fall.

_Three..._

_Two..._

_One..._

"Well, well what have we got here?"

Both Chunnin and Jounin whirled their heads around to the entrance of the alley, shock registering on both faces. At the entry stood Kakashi, seemingly relaxed with his hands shoved in his pockets and slouched posture in place. However if one looked a little closer they would have seen the slight trembling of his tensed arms and the fierce glint in the grey eye, he was far from relaxed he was furious.

The Jounin, knowing he'd been caught red handed dropped the kunai quickly back into his pouch and tried to feign innocence. Iruka looked a little relieved but still surprised at the other mans presence. The silver haired man had been drifting back off to sleep when he'd left the apartment little under an hour ago, stating that he was still exhausted from using his Sharingan too much. Clearly it had been a lie and the brunette bristled slightly as the flames of his anger began to stoke. Taking the initiative the Jounin stepped away from Iruka and toward his fellow rank member.

"Hatake-san, what brings you down here?" His voice was innocent and oozed charisma and made the silver haired man want to gag.

"Oh nothing really, I was out shopping mine and my partners dinner and saw you drag Iruka-san down they alleyway. I thought I'd come and join the fun."

Iruka had to restrain his laughter at the wicked gleam in his captors eyes, clearly believing Kakashi was here to help him get rid of his little problem. If only the idiot knew just how wrong he was. Kakashi remained as composed as ever and stepped forward, effectively cutting off any escape from the enclosed space.

"So you heard the rumours about this little freak?"

The silver haired man nodded slowly eyes flashing dangerously as he stalked forward. "Oh yes, I heard."

"So what do you suggest we do with him?" The other man asked an evil grin crossing his face, causing the multiple bruises to mottle into one.

Kakashi came to a stop in front of Iruka his back to the other Jounin. Although his figure still radiated annoyance the visible grey eye had regained some of its humour and he winked at the brunette, causing Iruka to furrow his brows in confusion.

The copy-nin smirked behind his mask "Well first of all, this."

It happened quick as anything. One second Kakashi stood in front of Iruka masked and smirking, the next the silver haired Jounin's tongue was down his throat trying to devour his tonsils. Behind them the brunette could literally hear the other mans brain overloading as mortification of 'what' they were doing and 'where' they were doing it sank in. Suddenly very annoyed Iruka bit down on Kakashi's lip causing him to pull away with a feral smirk on his face. He quickly pulled his mask up and turned around to the shell shocked man behind him, who looked as if he'd swallowed a lethal poison.

"Y-you..." He gaped like a fish.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed "Yes, me."

The other Jounin was at a loss for words and finally the warning bells were starting to go off in his head. Slowly he tried to make his way out of the alleyway, but it was already too late. Kakashi had once again blocked off the exit to the alleyway. He was trapped and royally, _royally_ screwed.

"So..." Kakashi drawled tilting his head toward Iruka "What do you suggest we do with him?"

The parroting of his own words caused the Jounin to pale dramatically, sweat breaking out on his discoloured skin. He looked helplessly between both men and seeing nothing but vindictiveness in their gaze felt his heart plummet. Iruka turned toward Kakashi a grim smile on his face and his eyes glinting with unholy amusement.

"Hmm... I'm sure I can think of something suitably _fitting_..."

The emphasis on the last word caused the man in front of him to shudder. The Jounin knew he shouldn't be afraid of this snot nosed Chunnin but there was something in his eyes that spoke of pain and torture beyond his comprehension and the smirk on the brunette's lips suggested that he wasn't adverse to dolling it out. It was a downright creepy and unnerving combination.

"But for now he's going to strip and climb into that dustbin over there."

Both Jounin's eyes flew open at the command, one in shock, the other in horror. Kakashi eyed the brunette standing next to him with amused confusion and just shook his head slightly, clearly the man knew what he was doing. The Jounin glared at the two men but slowly began to comply, stripping off the standard Jounin uniform until he was standing in nothing but his boxers.

Iruka smirked. "Turn around please."

The man did so, albeit very reluctantly but he knew he had no choice in the matter. He stared hard at Kakashi who was merely watching the whole scene with a happy look on his face, behind the Jounin he could see Iruka fish out a brush and some paper from his clothing. The silver haired man arched a silver brow as he watched his partner scribble something on the paper and then draw a quick seal on the back of it. There was a quick flare of chakra and the paper adhered itself to the man's back and content with his work Iruka stood back.

"Now climb in the dustbin" He commanded in his best 'sensei' voice.

Hesitantly the man turned back around and moved toward the dustbin. Kakashi bit back a laugh as he read Iruka's handiwork, the note stuck the man's back proudly displaying '**I am a homophobic asswipe**'. The Jounin gracefully leapt in, grimacing at horrible smell and the feeling of _god knew what _crawling around his feet. He continued to glare at the two men, the effect dampened by the chest high pile of rubbish he was sitting in.

"Now you are going to stay there until someone comes and gets you out. And when they do you are to tell them to come and let us know. Do I make myself clear?" The 'sensei' voice was back.

"_Yes_" The single word was ground out through gritted teeth.

"Good, now goodnight."

And with that Iruka swung down the lid of the dustbin and placed another paper seal across the hinge, trapping the man inside. Muffled swearing and shouting could be heard from inside the bin but neither man paid it any notice, instead Kakashi moved toward the brunette and looped an arm casually around his shoulders.

"Was that really necessary?"

The silver haired man asked, his voice filled with mirth and clearly not bothered about the answer. Iruka shrugged nonchalantly his eyes bright with mischief, he hadn't had that much fun in quite a long time and it had felt good to cut loose an let his more puckish side out.

"Not at all, but you so know it was worth it."

The laugh that Kakashi had been trying so hard to suppress finally escaped his lips and had the man heaving under the strain.

"You, Umino Iruka are truly twisted and demented... I love it."

Again Iruka shrugged, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "What can I say, it's a gift or maybe a curse. Not quite sure which."

The Jounin's laughter continued and he pulled the brunette into a hug, the tremors of his amusement rippling down the others body.

"Don't really care which it is Iruka..."

"Me either..."

A comfortable silence passed between the two men as the amusement faded.

"So did I hear something about dinner?" The brunette asked quirking a brow.

"Ah... I kinda let that slip didn't I?" The silver haired man pouted slightly "It was meant to be a surprise."

Iruka laughed lightly "It was, thank you. Now come on I'm starved."

The two men left the alleyway side by side chatting animatedly and laughing happily. They passed through the markets and picked up the items for dinner, Kakashi riling up the numerous vendors as they tried to help. Eventually Iruka just gave up and left the silver haired man to deal with the fallout, chuckling as he walked away. Kakashi looked a little lost for a moment, then begrudgingly gave in and paid the vendors for their purchases. He quickly caught up the Chunnin and levelled him with a pouting glare.

"That was mean."

Iruka laughed "Serves you right you idiot."

Kakashi couldn't help but grin at the light heartedness. "I'm not an idiot, me, genius."

The innocent look in Kakashi's eye wasn't fooling anyone and caused the brunette to double over with laughter, eventually Iruka regained his breath and grinned.

"What am I going to do with you."

"I don't know, take me home?"

"You wish." There was a snort.

"Iruka..?"

"Yes Kakashi?"

"How long does that seal you put on that dustbin last?"

"Long enough, why?" The brunette looked slightly confused.

"Fancy putting off dinner for a little while and traumatising your nemesis some more?" There was a wicked glint in the copy-nin's eye.

Iruka looked intrigued "What did you have in mind?"

"Well..."

~The End (For real this time)~

A/N: It's over, really, REALLY over. I restarted this chapter like _four_ times it just didn't want to play ball... I'm also sorry if this kinda sucks, I've just been overwhelmed with work and having your hair scragged from the roots on a daily basis is not great for creative influences, but fabulous for giving migraines. *Glares at work*

Anywho enough whining, thank you so much once again for all the support and I hope to see some of you guys next time around.

Later Peeps and Merry Christmas

Smaell.


	17. Sequel Announcement

Sequel announcement?

Okay this isn't really an update more of an announcement. I wasn't actually going to do anything to continue 'Otherside' but it appeared the plot bunnies from the bowels of hell thought otherwise and have decided to _inspire_ me.

Naughty Boris *Glares*

So if you're in the mood for more character torture, ridiculously annoying cliff-hangers, infrequent updates and more questions asked than answered then go give it a look. It's going under the name of 'Darkside' and the prologue is about to be posted.

It's set roughly six months after the end of 'Otherside' and isn't a direct continuation of that story. It has a completely new plot, new dilemmas but still sticks to my 'Just how far can I push the character abuse' motto.

However if it isn't your cup of tea then avoid it, I won't be offended ^_^.

I would however like to thank everyone who has supported me thus far with all the reviews, favs and alerts for this story. You have no idea how much confidence they all gave me.

Right guys I got a prologue to post.

Later

Smaell XxX


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